Review: ‘Am I Roxie?’ at Geffen Playhouse
- Dondre Tuck
- 55 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Written and performed by Roxana Ortega and directed by Bernardo Cubría, “Am I Roxie?” is a one-woman dark comedy, currently running at the Geffen Playhouse through Oct. 5. The show pulls the audience into Ortega’s world as she takes on the most challenging role of her life: becoming her mother’s caretaker. Along the way, she wrestles with family, loss and identity in a story that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Ortega is magnetic from the moment she steps on stage. Her ability to shift between multiple characters — including her own mother, an Australian director, a spiritual healer and a nursing home assistant — is seamless, and she has the audience laughing one moment and sinking into heavy silence the next.
Her autobiographical style of storytelling is sharp, insightful, and layered, never leaning into exaggeration but instead finding the humor in life’s hardest turns. One particularly memorable scene involves her visit to a spiritual healer, her last resort at a pivotal point in caring for her mother, where humor and vulnerability collide in a way that captures the heart of this piece.
Cubría’s direction keeps the show crisp and steady, never letting it drag. The nonlinear storytelling feels refreshing, pulling us deeper into Ortega’s world. Staging choices ensure her every reaction is clear, and the intimacy of the blocking helps bridge the gap between performer and audience.
Visually, the production is striking. Scenic designer Efren Delgadillo, Jr. uses moving set pieces with chairs, a bathtub and a bar screwed onto wooden frames that glide on and off stage. His boldest touch is a cascade of broken, scattered notes that drop from above, echoed by Yuki Izumihara’s projection design, which amplifies the mood.
Pablo Santiago’s lighting floods the stage with purple, red and blue hues, shifting the emotional temperature of each moment. Jennifer Lynn Deck keeps Ortega in a single costume, a blue jumpsuit that feels both comfortable and symbolic, grounding her performance.
Music is just as essential to this show’s rhythm. Cricket S. Myers’s sound design, paired with Arian Saleh’s composition, creates playful, precise transitions that give the performance its electric momentum. Together, they heighten the shifts between comedy and gravity, keeping the audience fully engaged.
At its core, “Am I Roxie?” is about love, sacrifice, and family responsibility. Ortega doesn’t shy away from the painful truth that supporting loved ones can conflict with personal dreams. For me, the story becomes a meditation on balance, showing how unchecked sacrifice can lead to burnout and unintended harm. It is thought-provoking and raw, forcing us to reflect on what we owe to others and to ourselves.
By the end of a recent show, audience members were visibly moved, some wiping away tears. The piece is as entertaining as it is emotionally charged, and Ortega’s performance is nothing short of remarkable. “Am I Roxie?” is one of the most compelling one-woman shows I have seen this year, and I highly recommend catching it before the run ends.
“Am I Roxie?” continues through Oct. 5 at Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, with shows Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, call the box office at (310) 208-2028 or visit GeffenPlayhouse.org. Run time is 85 minutes with no intermission.