Pretty Delusional @ theSpaceTriplex
Gianna Milici hilariously exposes the agonies, ecstasies, and humiliations of what it means to desire and want to be desired as a young woman in Pretty Delusional
Following the romantic encounters of a twenty-something struggling to stay hopelessly romantic despite the devastating effects of rejection, Pretty Delusional offers an honest, gut-punchingly funny exploration of early-twenties love. It's set during the quarter-life crisis of Brooklyn-based actor, writer and comedian Gianna Milici, told through original songs, storytelling and comedic choreography, with music by Shelbie Rassler.
With hilariously honest and relatable lyrics, interweaving pop culture references from Miley Cyrus to Zac Efron to Beyoncé, Milici exposes the agonies, ecstasies and humiliations of what it means to desire and want to be desired as a young woman in the modern world. The show stars Milici as a younger version of herself, a self-confessed horny and hopeless romantic, eighteen and in love for the first time with a boy named Luke. As though back in her teenage bedroom, Milici walks us through the teenage girl world of getting ready, singing songs to oneself and dreaming of being a popular It Girl, impressing the perfect boy, and having him fall head over heels in love with her.
Living in a society that dismisses the feelings of girls leads Milici to dismiss her own feelings here – a relatable cycle – whereby she rejects herself and emotionally convinces the crowd that seeking empty validation through casual hookups has been “so much fun!” While there is no shade to the casual hookup, for the personification of then-21-year-old Milici who just wants to be loved, it is clearly painful. “I guess I just have too many emotions to be casual,” Milici says, getting us to the heart of her show. “The moments I felt I was closet to my self were the moments I didn’t get chosen.”
Pretty Delusional is a story about trying to figure out what you truly want from love without accepting the bare minimum just to get by on crumbs — and about how, as a young woman, sometimes being who you are without hiding who you are can make you question if you truly deserve love. Milici makes real the stress and anxiety of being a girl with wants and needs in a world all too familiar with dismissing young women’s desires as 'too much' or 'too emotional'. It’s this wry self-awareness that makes the show a rollercoaster of hope: remembering all those puppy love pains, you root for her to find love not from another but for herself.
Though Milici is outrageously funny and satirical, the show's emotional moments cut to the core of girlhood. At the end, the story comes to a place of self-acceptance, pulling the audience in to a final self-affirming and joyous rendition by inviting us all to sing about how we are all "hotter than Beyoncé.”
Pretty Delusional, theSpaceTriplex (Studio), until 24 Aug, 5.10pm, £10