The message of Amy Oestreicher’s musical based on her personal experience is so heart-rendering that it’s hard to judge it as theater. But that’s the form she has it take. A critical view finds it more like a therapy session shared with an audience who might need help to “cope in the face of unexpected events” or who might be able to aid others in coping. Amy Oestreicher starts out stating “I Was Born to Sing and Dance” and proceeds with either planned or unfortunate awkwardness. Biographical detail concerns attending a university to get into musical theater. She was discouraged during her first attempt at NYC success. At a bookstore she found a book about survivors of sexual abuse; it’s unclear if that happened before or after her seminal experience. The actress reveals that first horrendous event was sexual assault so brutal that she suffered much (all described) before coming out of a coma. She wanted to say “I’m Here” as she now sings. Then she had to make her arduous way toward more physical, mental, and psychological survival. Did her doctor love her or his work? Was she guilty? Oestreicher’s voice starts out well and hits a peak when she sings of her early achievements, like brushing her own teeth and feeling her feet. The first of several sound glitches extended the time it takes for her to get in the cat scans and walks downstairs that felt “like field trips.” She goes into great detail about each achievement, highlighting a private graduation ceremony and, with some humor, a shopping trip. She states, “All I wanted to do was act.” But she considered herself as she got better as “a sideshow.” Not much better socially. As Amy’s script shows her getting bleaker, so does her ability to hit high notes or come down gracefully. Obviously, though in a sleeveless dress she looks almost emaciated, she’s become better in terms of health, resilience, and outlook. Generous applause may have indicated she inspires or that she’s admired for her spirit or for her inspirational motive in telling and singing her story.
