Review: HELL OF A YEAR Tackles the Mess and Beauty of Breakups at the Hollywood Fringe

Everyone can point to a time or another in their life where they’ve gone through a rough patch, yet not everyone can make sense, let alone, make art of it. However, producer and performer Elli Legerski did just that in her one-woman show “Hell of a Year”. The show, which premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival earlier this month, chronicles a major time of transition where she left her long-term boyfriend and best friend. “Hell of a Year” also follows Legerski’s reckoning with her mother’s illness and death, deftly tying the wounds from that loss into the relationships she leaves over the course of the show.

Directed by Jordan Herskowitz, the show boasts a tight, but well-used, runtime of thirty-five minutes where Legerski both figuratively and literally unpacks her past relationships. From the get-go, Elli learns at a tender age from her single mother that loyalty to the people in her life matters above all. However, after her mother’s death and years holding onto relationships that have turned sour, Legerski must confront and challenge a deeply rooted belief. Though toxic relationships and grief are far from light fare, Legerski masterfully finds the hilarity and absurdity in her struggle. Her impressions of her boyfriend and ex-best friend are both entertaining and distinct, and she crafts a meaningful sense of vulnerability as she sorts through the wreckage.

A Lone Legerski Unpacks Loyalty and Loss in “Hell of a Year”

It’s refreshing to see a platonic friendship given the same weight and grieving as a romantic relationship in “Hell of a Year”. We’ve all been through a bad breakup with a romantic partner and there are endless media for us to turn to in order to mourn such. However,  Legerski’s struggle to navigate distancing herself from her childhood best friend is where the most fresh and engaging material is mined since there’s more white space to fill. The fact that is happens simultaneous to the end her romantic relationship is what rivets viewers to the story on stage, and comes to a unexpected, but satisfying, conclusion when Legerski reads her mother’s old diary. In it, she learns that for as much as her mother prized loyalty, she herself didn’t always live up to its virtues. The revelation is come to with compassion and liberation from Legerski, which allows its audience to leave empowered.

After the conclusion of the “Hell of a Year”, there’s a poll in the lobby of the performance space, asking if Elli made the right choice by breaking up with her boyfriend and best friend. Because of Legerski’s honest and humorous examination of her hellish year, it’s no surprise that the poll during the past two performances have been overwhelmingly answered with “Yes.” “Hell of a Year” is a delightful debut from an artist who typically works behind the scenes, yet one is happy that she chose to step into the spotlight to tell her story.

HELL OF YEAR has two more performances at the Hollywood Fringe Festival  Sunday, June 23rd and Saturday, June 29th. Purchase your tickets HERE.