JESTER OF THE PEACE

Jester of the The Peace, Barbara Ann Michaels, New York, NY. In her genuine capacity as a wedding officiant, Barbara Ann Michaels brought her warm and funny disposition to bear on her show. I came to the theatre not knowing what to expect, except that I know Barbara has a way of pulling fairy dust out of thin air and weaving it into something sweetly magical.  The unscripted program centered around ceremonies to celebrate whatever anyone wanted to acknowledge or devote themselves to, be it a person, a piece of fruit (someone actually brought a papaya), small nervous dogs (yes, you read that right), or, in my case, "sleep." Since Deborah Kaufmann had also requested "rest", we were called upon to get into the same silk sleeping bag and lie down on stage.  We couldn't stop laughing it tickled us that much. Barbara's way with improvisation made the evening light and fun.  She evokes real emotion from what at first seems like a playful, simple exercise.  Her sincere desire to connect people to their own loving energy, coupled with her ability to gently bring that about, was unexpectedly affecting, and at times, quite touching.  One ceremony was performed via Skype. The gal was in our audience and her fiance was in California and they told us their story and then ended the call with a dance to "Let's Get it On" together through the Skype camera. There was a costume rack on stage for those who wanted to transform themselves and get into character. The lights and music used enhanced each ceremony. Everyone got a ring (since we were being "wedded" to our aspirations). Barbara's show had the feel of hanging out at a nice party. We the audience were an integral part of the action and as we all got involved, we became a unified group. A lovely evening that generated true feelings of goodwill.  I suspect that was Barbara's intention all along. And at the end there were cupcakes!