Anna Capunay first saw the future about ten years ago when Cowl Girl came to be. Cowl Girl is a comic-pop culture-obsessed human who retreats into a personal Fortress of Solitude after a very personal world-shaking event. While Capunay could not have predicted certain aspects of the future in 2013 when this project was first workshopped, it now seems the perfect diamond born of cinders to come from the time BC, Before COVID, to hurtle forward to the present day.
Directed by Sean Pollock, Artistic Director of Unattended Baggage, the show stars Yessenia Rivas in the title role, with lilith ma and Roy Koshy as besties Tabby and Jason with Azende Johnson as the beautiful gender-fluid Alex, the nephew of Cowl Girl’s arch nemesis and frenemy.
Pools of light delineate the intimate locations of the lobby area of the apartment building where Cowl Girl lives. Her range runs from the lobby to her apartment and the candid closeness of the trio of besties is tangible. When Alex appears, there’s a shimmer between he and Cowl Girl and something more than a spark ignites.
Rivas plays CG full on with her heart as visible as her eponymous cowl. Johnson is tenacious – his Alex feels something extraordinary for CG, and he pursues her like a villain – who’s actually a hero (shhhhh!). Koshy’s Jason is CG’s older bro/father figure who seems omniscient while ma’s Tabby is sometimes adoring little sister and other times Aggretsuko made flesh when her protective instincts are fired! They are the perfect besties. And then there’s the Cat….
Experience the magic of Pee Wee Herman, whose spirit must surely be there, the nostalgia for the 80s and the brilliance of The Artist formerly known as Prince for yourself. This show resonates and you need to feel it. This show closes August 27, get your tickets NOW at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/277/1690862400000 for best options.