With Me, and Such as Me, It is Different – Review by Luke Dodge

‘With Me, and Such as Me, It is Different’ is a one person performance of half poetic speeches, half dance, and half concert. Yes, there are that many halves. One could not help but smile from the energy pouring out of Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Miles. An impassioned hybrid of speech and poem, Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Milescould could not stand still, pushed around the stage by their words. At times the audience wanted to cry out and scream “yes!” at Jurkiewicz-Miles’s rousing statements.

Interspersed with classical music played on the piano, this reviewer could sit back and listen to Jurkiewicz-Miles, who is the emotional embodiment of the piece, for hours. Songs use all parts of not only the piano, but Jurkiewicz-Miles as well. Wordless vocal noises and even a bicycle horn make an appearance.

Focused on the fluid, genderless nature of music despite the box we attempt to put it in, the show strips truth to the bone in a set of overlapping narrated instances of historical discrimination and oppression against non-straight individuals.

One person. One piano. Many voices. Sobering, deep, and soul searching; a haunting performance. The ending literally sent a chill down the spine.

This is a unique performance for most viewers will have no context in which to compare it against others. If you’re looking for something truly different, on the fringe if you will, this show is the show to see.