PRESS

“Trans Am is the autobiographical tale of Lisa Stephen Friday’s life so far – her upbringing in conservative Fayetteville, her rise to fame, her fall from grace, her journey to rebuild, and, most importantly, her path of self-discovery. Lisa shows us what it’s like to struggle with an identity when you don’t have the vocabulary or worldview to explain it to yourself or others, how to find and build support systems, and how to find the bravery to push forward even when you don’t know what the next step is.

It’s not that Lisa’s story is one of pure triumph – there are many dark moments, and her story is far from over. But this particular telling comes from a vantage point of the wisdom Lisa has gained over the years, one that allows her to recognize her dark moments with clarity, to be forgiving to herself while still repentant to those who were affected by her actions. But it also allows her to find strength in all she’s faced and survived, and to recognize her power and talent as well.

And she is incredibly talented. The show features songs Lisa wrote and performed with Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday at the height of their fame in the New York rock circuit in the early 2000s. The songs are catchy, emotional, and personal; following the performance, I immediately pulled up her music on YouTube so I could listen to it again. But part of what makes Lisa a good songwriter is that she’s a good storyteller, and getting to hear her music interwoven with her story makes TRANS AM a particularly poignant experience. Her attention to detail and wonderful turns of phrase are entrancing, and paint powerful images of her memories for the audience. Likewise, Lisa’s delivery makes each moment recounted (most notably the plane scene and her band’s last road trip and performance) feel as though we’re watching them play out in real time.

Behind the scenes, there’s an additional layer of emotion: TRANS AM is directed by Lisa’s old bandmate, Fred Berman. Berman’s presence is particularly noteworthy after the audience learns about how the band broke up and lost contact for over a decade before reuniting for a performance in 2017; it also speaks to the strength of the foundations Lisa has built over her life, a strength that reverberates through the show itself.

TRANS AM is a powerful, honest portrayal of a fascinating and gifted woman, and brings a beautiful blend of storytelling and performance to the stage (and our screens). With its compelling story, sensational music, and deep emotionality, TRANS AM is a show that stays with audiences in the best way, and makes you excited to see what Lisa’s next steps will be.”

— BroadwayWorld.com

“It’s old news that theatre is undergoing a transformation this year due to the pandemic. At the same time, it might be the most important moment for the rawness and immediacy the institution offers. This is something that is perfectly captured in Keegan Theatre’s new show, Trans Am, a world-premiere musical and one-woman rock performance. The woman is Lisa Stephen Friday, and the show is a gorgeous memoir mashup that explores Friday’s musical awakening, transition, and the process of becoming herself.

Written and performed by Friday, the show chronicles the performer’s life and career to date. Friday’s telling of her own life is intimate, hilarious, sexy, sometimes sad, but always incredibly engaging. She ably translates her skill as a musician into finding the beats of her own experience, often punctuating stories with the perfect line.

Trans Am is as much showing as telling, as Friday both narrates and performs her personal history, acting out scenes and singing her own songs. A dynamic performer, Friday commands the stage, often climbing atop equipment during a song, in true rock fashion. The show’s music is drawn from her own punk rock band, Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday. The ear-wormy songs are sometimes interspersed with the script, and sometimes presented as standalone, dramatic interludes, separating chapters of her life.

Friday is a generous performer that ably communicates the highs and lows of her journey. And, as in any rock-n-roll memoir, there are some lows. … “You want to see my life, the choices I was given, the choices I survived,” Friday challenges her listeners, in one of the show’s songs, a line that could also sum up the story of Trans Am itself. Yet, the audience is left with the sense of a story not just about survival, but thriving in the face of uncertainty. Being live-streamed instead of recorded serves the show well. It’s live, and alive, a reminder of the immediacy and connection that theatre, music, and artists like Friday, can provide.”

— MD Theatre Guide

At its heart, Trans Am is an autobiographical ode in the style of a rock opera, that draws inspiration from the folk-rock like stereotype of the singer-storyteller. Lisa Stephen Friday, in her one-woman autobiographical show receiving its world premiere at Keegan Theatre, brings us on a hybrid journey of traditional coming out stories and traditional rise to fame stories, and all the wildness they both entail.

The opening is a fun, nostalgic look into the queer codes hidden in rock and roll and in pop culture, as well as straight up honoring the queer icons that the LGBQT+ community held so dear for so long.

Her formerly static energy gives us lovely highs and excellent nuances, and shows us her command of language and strong performance technique. Her physicality is delightful and fun; she moves with all the confidence and bravado of a true rock star, with the vocals to match. Friday’s vocals are powerful, and the songs by the NYC band Lisa Jackson & Girl Friday shifted between catchy and uplifting to somber and heartfelt.

This is a piece that shows great insight; reliving her past self who was unable to speak her truth because she did not have the vocabulary. That alone is such a powerful and universal thing to witness. In a small way, especially for those of us in the queer community, it reminds us to respect the journey of those who came before us and proudly paved the way. Those who walked so we could run.

— DC Theatre Scene