You know this play is going to be different when a cute, leggy, bling-laden blonde meets you at the door and asks you to blow up a balloon. Followed up with a thimbleful of vodka, and the sight of tiny cupcakes for consumption later. Then we find out the secret – this space has been reserved for the boyfriend’s birthday surprise, for him to do his comedy act. Except, of course, that the boyfriend fails to show up.
So the 65 minutes is filled with the blonde worrying about the guy, their relationship, and her angst about it all; and with the audience wondering why she bothers, since he is obviously a loser.
Hayley McGee’s facial expressions, body language, and voice inflexions in the dark, are priceless. At least five minutes of the show are devoted to sounds of an intimate nature in total darkness. Very effective. This stunning actor takes us on a journey of insecurity, where a woman will go to any lengths to hold onto a man. We know it will all end in tears, and it does. We share every moment of her obsession and humiliation. We laugh – of course, this is a comedy. But McGee also takes us to those places where laughter and sadness come together in a blur.
And this person grows up in front of us. At the end of the show she has shed the blonde wig and false eyelashes, as well as most of the other artifices of ‘beauty.’ Some of the balloons have been burst with her stiletto heels – a great deal of significance there!
If you are prepared to enter into another person’s vulnerability, and laugh your way into a deeper understanding of what makes a woman tick, go to this show. You won’t be disappointed. I’m Doing This for You is on twice more before the conclusion of UNO Fest – Friday May 26 at 9 p.m., and Saturday May 27 at 6:30 p.m., at Intrepid Theatre. intrepidtheatre.com or Ticket Rocket at 250-590-6291.