If you were having a conversation with yourself, what would you ask — and how would this other version of you respond? This is a classic playwriting prompt, one that’s inspired media about confronting your younger self, or resolving conflicting emotions. It’s also inspired journalist, playwright, and performer Pamela H. Leahigh to create Hey Pamela? Yes Pamela? now showing at DC’s District Fringe Festival. In this 50-minute show, Leahigh stages an inner dialogue that’s sometimes humorous, sometimes humiliating, but always conflicted.
The show opens with Leahigh introducing herself to the audience, letting us know that it feels like “there’s two of me up here, on a good day.” There’s the confident, abrasive version of herself she calls “Too” (as in “too much”), and there’s also the shy, anxious version of herself she calls “Pamela.” Writing down conversations between these two selves inspired the unique format of the show: she invites a friend to read a prewritten script, and randomly act out either Too or Pamela. At my performance, theater creator Chris Sullivan arrived onstage and read as Too, while Leahigh read as Pamela.
The show’s many Too/Pamela conversations tackle standard material for standup comedy: dating, loneliness, unhealthy habits, everyday inconveniences, and struggles with self-confidence. Leahigh is an astute observer of culture, but she doesn’t sharpen her observations quite into observational comedy. Her stories elicit some laughs, but mostly moments of recognition.
Some topics Leahigh brings up also feel opaquely written. She references bad-faith criticisms of her role as a television journalist, but with no context about her workplace, the script feels drained of politics and specificity. At one point, the character Pamela also states that “we are selfish and blind and stupid” — and the “we” she’s using could refer to Too/Pamela, or DC audiences, or all of America. While these multiplicities feel exciting, the dialogue feels too vague to pierce with true clarity.
The best part of the show is the strained relationship between Too and Pamela: the two characters act as each other’s bullies, cheerleaders, pests, and friends. This dynamic reminded me of the musical A Strange Loop, where a chorus of “Thoughts” transform into different versions of a protagonist’s self-loathing. That musical’s ensemble could become deranged and even emblematic of systemic oppression. But the performances of Hey Pamela? Yes Pamela? maintain the calm geniality of two colleagues. And though Leahigh acknowledges that many people deal with similar issues, she never explicitly calls out the systems or institutions that frame her personal struggles.
Hey Pamela? Yes Pamela? is a hybrid show, merging stand-up, dialogue, and improv. I appreciate that it defies categorization, but the show (like its characters) feels at war with itself. By switching quickly between genres, Hey Pamela? can’t quite deliver the methodical storytelling of standup, or the dramatic arcs of a play, or the unfiltered abandon of improv. The show is billing itself as a comedy, but given the show’s emphasis on scripted conversation, it’s clear to me that this show would function best as a true drama. If Leahigh focused on crafting character journeys for Too and Pamela, she’d surpass her sometimes disappointing jokes and launch us deeper into her fractured mind.
Hey Pamela? Yes Pamela?
A two-person show where the second person changes every night, by Pamela H. Leahigh
Running Time: 50 minutes
Dates and Times:
- Sunday, July 13, 9:45p
- Saturday, July 19, 5:30p
Venue: Phoenix – UDC Lecture Hall (44A03)
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: Hey Pamela? Yes Pamela?
Genre: Comedy, solo performance
Written and performed by Pamela H. Leahigh
The complete 2025 District Fringe Festival schedule is online here.
The 2025 District Fringe Festival program is online here.
