Press image via Andrea Schell/Capital Fringe

By DCist Contributor Missy Frederick.

What do an anthropology researcher, a morbidly obese former beauty queen, an Eastern European motivational speaker and a self-absorbed maid-of-honor, among others, have in common? It takes some time to figure out the answer to that question in From Seven Layers to a Bikini Top in Less Than Five Hours. Andrea Schell’s show rapidly links together the stories of several very different women, all brought to life by the writer-performer herself.

While the play doesn’t communicate a very clear overall thesis, it’s a pleasure to watch Schell take on each of its individual characters. She is a skilled, facile performer with a keen gift for accents and elastic facial expressions. She transitions into each new woman seamlessly, and peppers some of their stories with dance moves and a kind of slam poetry narration style. It’s satisfying to see each character in From Seven Layers find her voice, and Schell is an entertaining guide as each progresses along her journey.

From Seven Layers to a Bikini Top in Less Than Five Hours runs at the Tree House Lounge. Remaining performances are:
Tonight, July 14 at 7:45 p.m.
Thursday, July 16 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 18 at 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 19 at 12:00 p.m.

See here for more of DCist’s Fringe 2015 reviews.