Reviewed by Megan Keathley
If you make yourself easier for everyone to understand, do you then make yourself harder to truly know?
Actress/singer/comedienne Tiffany Michelle Foster fearlessly poses this question in her impressive one-woman debut show that features cabaret and drag elements, original music, multimedia, storytelling and standup. Come see “Ambiguous” for the entertaining character impersonations (with new song lyrics!); stay for the friendly, funny and frank discussion about race, perception, performing identity, and belonging.
Foster is a testament to Kansas City’s excellent theatrical talent. “Ambiguous” is polished yet personal, using the framing device of a first date to examine society’s determination to categorize people neatly into one or two Census-style boxes, when reality is much more intimate and complex. What’s a diva to do when her date demands authenticity, but Tiffany is not yet ready to share details about her parentage, much less her complicated experience as a multiracial queer woman in America? In lieu of her own personal Jiminy Cricket, Tiffany instead encounters a sarcastic talking cockroach who guides her and her audience on a laugh-out-loud journey of diverse character identities for Tiffany to try on.
In her goofy yet exploratory rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Black or White,” Foster proclaims that she longs to be perceived beyond racial qualifiers, but also doesn’t want to be “whitewashed,” or have her heritage homogenized. Of course, the best person to be is always yourself – even if finding that person takes time, and that identity isn’t easily labeled.
— Megan Keathley
KC Fringe would like to thank the following sponsors:
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