With the fear of Trump returning to office in this year’s election, returning to the 2016 election is scary but grounding. In a theatrical work, focusing more on everyday life around it is perhaps more powerful than the election itself. Luigi Laraia’s This is my sister is an intimate play in an intimate space that’s not trying to be bigger than it is.
In this play, two sisters grapple with the loss of their mother amid the 2016 presidential election. It’s also somehow funny. Sean Gabbart directs a production with realism in performances and technical choices (including a soft acoustic guitar–driven score by Luis Fernando Corzo). It shines most in its banter and individual character-driven moments.
One sister is Amy, a writer who hates Trump, recently returned from hospitalization due to a BPD episode, fears leaving her apartment, and has an affinity for watching her neighbors a bit too closely. In this role, Alexandra Recknagel’s sardonic delivery about politics with her sister, yet soft curiosity and hurt about life alone in her apartment, is dynamic.
The other is Lisa, a stay-at-home mom with three kids, motherly tendencies toward her younger sister, and initial apathy toward voting. Over time, she gets on the Hillary train. As Lisa, Rachel Sexton is cool and poised to a T until she can’t be.
Lisa needs further development, as Amy’s arc is more expanded in this cut, shortened for Fringe. It sometimes felt like there was room to go further that likely existed in its initial draft. More exploration of their lives outside of election talk and getting Amy to leave her apartment would be welcome, as the explosive final election night scene, which offers such exploration, packs a punch that feels revelatory.
But it’s a great reminder of how personal Trump’s election felt. That being forced to listen to Trump tirades can bring trapped, hopeless feelings. One strong moment showed Amy unable to avoid Trump coverage, culminating in almost setting her TV on fire.
This story leans more toward the trauma. It’s OK that it’s not always laugh-out-loud funny. It’s cool to track when it is a comedy, when it’s more of a dark comedy, and when it’s a drama. This feels more human, a quality that makes audiences feel a certain weight, even if they walked in expecting a comedy to solely entertain.
Running Time: 65 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Dates and Times: (This show’s run has ended.)
Venue: Bliss, Various Addresses
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: This is my sister
The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.
Director: Sean Gabbert
Playwright: Luigi Laraia
Performers: Alexandra Recknagel, Rachel Sexton
Composer: Luis Corzo
Assistant Director: Gaddiel Adams
