Running Into Me

Vickie Tanner might have got her title wrong: Me Me Me would be a better fit. This self-indulgent solo show is utterly blinkered: less a show than a showcase.

Tanner grew up in a downtown neighbourhood in Compton, California; the sort of place that pins you down and, for many, proves inescapable. She was a troublesome, violent high-schooler with a tumultuous home-life and a burgeoning drug habit. Then, she found her way to New York and a thousand different odd-jobs while supporting her acting career. She got a part in Law and Order, guys. She got into teaching. Things are going really well for her.

And that’s great. I’m genuinely pleased for her, but that’s not to say I need an hour of clichéd solo performance to spell out the details. You’ve seen this show before. In fact, you’ve seen the parodies. It’s the sort of show in which an actor plays their every acquaintance. Inspirational teacher: check. Playground nemesis: check. Therapist: checkmate.

Cut through all this are snippets of Tyra Banks-style hoochiness, hymning reality TV and its hollow promises of escape, fame and fortune. Two men recur—a child she teaches and a favourite nephew—both of whom fall into cycles of aggression and crime.

The point is that getting out is difficult. Tanner’s been fortunate – and she knows it. What a shame, then, that she choose to crow about her journey, rather than attempting to effect a change that others might follow suit.