A History Tour Hijacked - Elizabeth R. Young

“A History Tour Hijacked” is a charming production that serves as a showcase of 6-time Fringe veteran Elizabeth R. Young’s talents, knowledge, and interests. Even before the show, Young was meeting, greeting, and endearing herself to the audience before we were transformed into riders on a tour bus – or coach, as the driver Jim reminds us – across Washington D.C. with Young serving as our guide.

Covering America history from George Washington to the Civil Rights era, Young doles out facts as equally as she gives treats; rewarding the audience with candy for correct answers, as well as bits of showtunes while we travel from destination to destination through periods of history. Young’s aged tour guide character has a deep-seated love of theatre and song, but also hints of regret. And as the tour progresses, we learn of her long-delayed ambitions and dreams of moving to a bigger stage than the aisles between passenger seats in the U.S. capital.

Accompanying Young on stage is Dan Collins as Jim the Driver, his back always to the audience, but always ready to provide witty banter or a quick retort. He literally and figuratively keeps Young on track as she begins to drift off to thoughts of Parisian cafes and cabarets. Halfway through the story, the direction changes and curmudgeonly Jim helps steer us back to a sweeter, even fairy tale quality.

Bits of original songs mingle with famous tunes and melodies and the trivia presented felt appropriate for a bus tour; not wildly deep, but fascinating enough to hold our attention. This show starts in one direction, but you will enjoy where you end up, even if it wasn’t quite where you planned to be.