Left on Yellow Brick Road, created and performed by Sherif Amin, and directed by Kate Myre, is one of the solo performance shows of Springshot Festival at 18th & Union theatre and staged for three nights from April 11th to 13th. Left on Yellow Brick Road reminds its audience several aspects of loving someone and letting go of them.
Sherif, a young man from Egypt, finds himself in a colorful world full of peculiar creatures, the Land of Oz. He’s advised to have an appointment with Dr. Oswald every day, a therapy session, from which we find out how Sherif came to be in his current mental state. He meets another people and hear their stories and contemplates whether he should stay there or go home.
18th & Union’s stage is small and square, but the set was perfectly fit into it, regardless of how it had multiple objects such as bed and big suitcases. The costumes seemed to be of low budget, Sherif was wearing regular clothes. As it was a solo performance, he had to play multiple roles, and in order to do that, he simply put on or carried small objects such as hats or stick to transform into other roles.
Sherif Amin delivered his performance excellently and it was evident that he’s a very talented actor. He changed his voice range from masculine to feminine effortlessly and his expressions were spot on throughout the play. The comic nature of the play was fueled by the oddity of the characters and the audience’s response was enthusiastic and positive. The central theme was realistic and relatable, therefore, it delivered a strong message about not losing yourself as a result of toxic relationship.
Left on Yellow Brick Road by Sherif Amin. 18th & Union. 1406 18th AVE. 98122.