Blown Sideways Through Life

I saw Ms. Shear perform this piece in person at the New York Theatre Workshop and loved it! And I was very happy to see it show up on cable TV. Through her stories of working in an assortment of extremely odd jobs she makes very wise and funny observations about life. Her tale of working as a telephone receptionist in a brothel, while comical, is poignant and full of pathos. The story of "Claudi" working as an actress in a surreal Italian film is truly worthy of Fellini. And in one of her best scenes, while just standing in line at a coffee shop, she stands up for simple human dignity. The line that has stayed with me through the years comes near the end of the show, "Every person in this room has a story that would stop... your... heart."