Review: Boulder actress shows off versatility in ‘Honeymoon’

There’s nothing unusual about “The Honeymoon Period is Officially Over,” Gemma Wilcox’s one-woman show that kicks off the Manitou Art Theater’s premieres season.

Unless you count the fact that Wilcox plays 20 characters — including “a frisky cat, a timid hamster, a raging fire, a funkadelic saxophone, Scottish chickens, and a transcendent feathery friend,” she said in an e-mail interview from England, where she was visiting family before returning to her home in Boulder. Otherwise, it’s just the old, universal tale of making relationships work.

The mix of familiar theme, quirky treatment and strong acting skills has enabled the 29-year-old Wilcox to carve out a niche in the difficult theater world. She recently won several awards at the Ottawa Fringe Festival, including best solo performance. She’s also garnered awards from fringe festivals in Boulder, Orlando, Fla., and Austin, Texas.

The play is roughly half of a tetralogy covering three years in the life of its main character, Sandra — who was originally inspired by a teenage girl Wilcox met on a holiday in Mauritius eight years ago.

“The girl’s father had died, and she and her mother were on holiday for the anniversary of the father’s death,” said Wilcox. “I remember the girl being shy and embarrassed of the overly loud and flamboyant mother — who was a little drunk. For some reason they struck me as wonderful characters with a sad history and clear emotional characteristics.” But as the play evolved, the character became more autobiographical.

“Like Sandra, I have also been married, separated and divorced, and that whole wonderful roller coaster of a journey influenced and inspired a lot of the story and the protagonist’s trajectory,” said Wilcox.

There are other sources of inspiration.

“I sometimes create characters by writing lists of ‘What am I scared of doing?’ ‘What am I jealous of in others?’ ‘What do I secretly want to do on stage, but think I can’t?,’” she said.

The one-person format allows Wilcox to express her creativity. She said it challenges her to be “physically and verbally versatile, varied and precise.”

But there’s also a practical side. “One person, multi-character shows are becoming more and more the rage about the fringe theater scene, especially as it is the cheapest way to tour on an actor’s small budget.”

details

Manitou Art Theater presents Gemma Wilcox in “The Honeymoon Period is Officially Over”

When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Oct. 20, 2 p.m. Oct. 21

Where: Theater at Venue 515, Business of Art Center, 515 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs

Tickets: $16; 685-4729 or www.themat.org

Learn more: www.gemmawil cox.com