photo by Mandee Johnson Photography | @mandeephoto
It’s not a breakdown. It’s a musical comedy.
Facing medical misadventures in the mecca of wellness, former Texan and recovering Jehovah’s Witness, Stacie Burrows clings to her piano searching for Zen amongst LA’s quakes and quacks. Laughable is not a mental breakdown, it’s a musical comedy! Featuring original tunes: My Sweet Maladies, Hot Mess Helpers, Elective Surgery, My Fitness App and more.
Written and performed by LA-based musical comedian Stacie Burrows (Bulletproof Unicorn, Mommy Tonk, Expressing Motherhood). Directed by Katierose Donohue Enriquez (Queen of Fishtown, Two Broke Girls, How I Met Your Mother, the Groundlings) Produced in association with Center Stage Theater Santa Barbara.
The Derek Awards gave Laughable a 4-star review from Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024.
Recorded Live at The Broadwater in Hollywood, CA
PRESS
LOS ANGELES FEMALE PLAYWRIGHTS INITIATIVE
REVIEWS:
“Sarcastic, sardonic, comical and relatable. Stacie’s show, Laughable, is one you should not miss. Her use of music and lyrics serve to make the show multi-dimensional, and fun. Everyone can find something in the show that describes a part of their life, especially if they live in LA. The audience was laughing loudly. Enjoyable and thought provoking, go see it!” B. Woss
“Burrows is a very likeable performer. Her defiant cheeriness, in spite of her seemingly overwhelming list of ailments, is charming and endearing. She gently mocks LA’s wellness culture, her family, and, less gently, all the quacks she has turned to for help. Burrows assumes an easy rapport with the audience which we were happy to accept. She has a disarming candor and an interesting life to tell us about, with no filter.” Guy Picot, Gia on the Move
“Stacie’s ability to be so present and truthful in the moment and yet hilarious all at once is kind of mind blowing in the best possible way.
Her songs are timed and placed so perfectly, the melodies and lyrics alternately whimsically ironic, or gorgeously poignant straight from the heart.
I was amazed at how brilliantly she incorporated latecomers into the show, welcoming them (not shaming), not missing a beat and able to milk ever more humor in the moment.” J. Vigne
“This show spoke to me right where I am in my life. Stacie’s full throated acceptance of the absurdity of her circumstances (caregiving, consistent and annoying medical issues, aging in Hollywood) was refreshing and inviting to the audience. We felt free to laugh out loud at heartbreaking circumstances because we knew we were in Stacie’s capable hands. Her ease and skill as a performer immediately puts the audience at ease. Stacie describes herself as “intense” but I would say “engaged and alive” to the situations around her. She brings such joy and spontaneity to the work.” M. Dolan
“Stacie Burrows is fantastic. Hilarious, totally in the moment she regales us with her physical / emotional challenges which leave us amazed that she can carry on with such energy and delight despite these things. A very clever, relatable show that flies by.” P. Peyser
“One of the funniest solo shows I’ve ever seen. Stacie is absolutely wonderful as she takes us along on her stressy messy journey of life. Her timing is impeccable and her original songs are brilliant. Don’t miss this incredible performer!” C. McClenehan
“Great performance and direction. More than an audience member, I felt like I was having a conversation with a dear friend. I found audience members, including myself, talking back to her outloud as we listened intently feeling every gut punch whilst enjoying bewildered guffaws. Stacie shares horrifying things that seem too redonculous to be real, and it’s all hilarious because she lived to talk and sing about it all. Then, the heartbreaks sneak in, ug, but somehow she keeps you laughing the whole way through, because, well, what else can you do? This show is so very relatable. A delight. A must see, for sure.” V. Vaughn
“This show left me enraged and happy, in a good way?? Stacie’s story is at turns hilarious, poignant, horrible, and, dare I say, laughable. Come for the Bo-Burnam level musical cleverness, stay for the holy-s**t-level of truth that will make you look twice at Jehovah’s witnesses and OBGYNs.” M. Frazel
“What must overcome to make art is inspiring. Stacie Burrows can’t stop and won’t stop even if her body keeps getting in her way. Many people would not continue on, but I am so grateful Stacie did! This show made me laugh and cry and want to call my mom afterwards.
Brava Stacie. Brava” R. Marez
“I’m not an easy laugh. But LAUGHABLE made me laugh out loud over and over again. The writing was clean, smart and hilarious, the delivery of the material was superb, I loved the songs, loved the animated backdrop, I loved so much about this show. Stacie Burrows had everyone in the palm of her hand. A funny, dark and bittersweet show that I want to see again! And that says a lot. Bravo.” L. Kotin
“There was something for everybody. I liked the funny stuff about her marriage and I knew a lot of her maladies on a personal level. It was hilarious, but also very heartfelt. I feel like this is a show about human connection.” E. Donohue
“Well produced and tight show. I was totally with her through her disappointments, traumas and the idea of if you don’t laugh, you’re gonna cry.” CJ Merriman
“Stacie has a way of making you feel like you’re in her living room, listening to her pathos, but you’re totally enjoying yourself. I found myself listening and laughing with intent, the whole way through. Stacie’s soundtrack to Laughable drew me in. It was beautiful songwriting sung by a very skilled storyteller.” K. Beauvais
”Stacie is FUNNY as all get out! She is unconventional with her humor! Unique, ballsy, outrageous and sooo darn relatable! I don’t just like her shows, I LOVE THEM! I will see absolutely ANYTHING this incredibly talented woman does! If you want to see a pro at work, please see this FANTASTIC SHOW!” P. Levin
“Thank you for the many happy ear worms this morning. Absolutely loved the musical comedy “Laughable!” It was an amalgam of brilliant humor, snappy songs, and heart-touching poignancy. It truly embodied the 3 R’s: real, revelatory, and relatable. Kudos to comedienne Stacie Burrows and director Katierose Donohue Enriquez!”
“The songs! The tenderness! The commentary on how LA has made us so self conscious about our normal bodies. Having seen Bulletproof Unicorn, this feels like a trajectory up from similar source material and that Stacie had really baked with these ideas while living them. Enjoyable, vulnerable, funny!” Krisina Wong
“Stacie Burrows is a uniquely compelling and fascinating artist. This show is a brutally honest and hilarious sharing of her life and family experience. Stacie is fearless and funny. It all worked for me. The songs ranged from twangy, silly, and funny, to beautiful and deep. She bares all (psychologically speaking), and brings us along for a thrilling and unpredictable ride through her physical maladies and emotional revelations.”
“The show was seamless, from props to lighting to sound cues to music. Stacie was relaxed, at ease, and dominated the stage. It is rare that you see an audience eat out of the hand of a performer, these days. It takes a lot to impress an audience. But when you bring them stories that they can relate to and you bring your faults and weaknesses and pathos and undeniable sense of humor, you have a winning show. How often do we truly laugh these days? I mean, deep belly laughs, constant giggles, mascara running down the cheeks crying-laughing? Hiccuping from too much laughing? Stacie Burrows brings you this kind of laughter, in her show, LAUGHABLE, and so much more!” C. Blignaut
“I could listen to Stacie talk and sing to me forever. She puts in words ways I’ve been feeling in this way that only the most unique, musical, comedian, thoughtful mind could. So lucky to have witnessed her show, and get to be a part of her brilliant upward trajectory completely propelled by authenticity and radical transparency that leaves us all feeling more connected.” Rainbow Shalom Hayes
CONTACT
For press inquiries or to book Laughable, please contact laughabletheshow@gmail.com
For production photos, click here.
TEAM BIOS:
STACIE BURROWS (Writer, Composer, Lyricist, Performer) writes and performs comedy and music. Her foundation is stand-up comedy which she began in NYC in 1997. She premiered her solo show BULLETPROOF UNICORN at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2022. She spent 10 years as 1/2 of the LA-based musical comedy duo MOMMY TONK and toured nationally with the storytelling show, EXPRESSING MOTHERHOOD. Her other solo shows include: I’m Not From Here but My Kids Are (featuring Shannon Noel), Tales from the Gymboree, Great Southern Life, and No Good Drunk. She has performed at Caroline’s on Broadway, Gotham Comedy Club NYC, The Comedy Store in Hollywood, Zanies Nashville, The House of Blues, Calgary Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival and more. She also sings in a classic rock cover band in Topanga Canyon called KUMMERSPECK.
KATIEROSE DONOHUE ENRIQUEZ (Director) is a LA based director, actor and writer originally from the Philadelphia area of South Jersey (Go Birds!). Her own multi-award winning solo show, Queen of Fishtown made its debut in 2022 and continues to enjoy a limited world tour, most recently with a sold out weekend at the Groundlings Theater in Hollywood, where she is an alumni of the Sunday Company. Katierose was recognized for her “razor sharp direction” by the publication Stage Scene LA; later receiving a Top Honor Scenie Award – Best Direction of a Drama (Intimate Theater) for the world premiere thriller, Final Interview by Gabriel Oliva at the Pico Playhouse. Currently, Katierose is enjoying directing two starkly different pieces: Comedian Stacie Burrows’ Edinburgh Fringe bound, solo musical Laughable and the southern ensemble drama, Hurricane Kate by Scott Golden. Both shows live on that vulnerable line where she most enjoys playing - between laughter and tears. MFA from The American Repertory Theater’s Institute at Harvard University and The Moscow Art Theatre. BA in Fine Arts from Rider University. Proud Union member.
Katierose’s Acting TV credits include: 2 Broke Girls (CBS), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), The Comeback (HBO), Future Man (HULU), American Crime (ABC), Astronomy Club (NETFLIX)
VICKIE SCOTT (Lighting & Set Designer) is a Lighting and Scenic Designer for Dance, Theatre, and Themed Entertainment, and is the Executive Producer for Dramatic Women, founded in 1993 to explore and promote the participation of women in all areas of theatre and to produce original scripts for the theater by Santa Barbara, California based writers. She is a faculty member in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she teaches lighting design for theater and dance, designs lights and mentors students. Vickie is proud to be the founding producer for the Initiative for New and Reimagined Work. Her first book, Contemporary Dance Lighting, was recently published by Routledge. Recent lighting designs include: in Los Angeles A Great Wilderness and Little Theater with Rogue Machine; Measure for Measure and Sealed Orders with Ophelia’s Jump; and The Tempest and The Winter’s Tale with Antaeus Theatre and in New York City Is Edward Snowden Single at the New Ohio; Bulletproof Unicorn at Theater Lab and The Shot at the United Solo Festival at Theatre Row, which received the festival Best Lighting Design award. She is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.
TERI BALL (Producer/Center Stage Theater Executive Director) In addition to her work with Center Stage, Teri is the Programs Manager for CA for the Arts, working with arts organizations across the state on arts advocacy initiatives and organizing events such as CA Arts & Culture Summit and Arts Advocacy Day. Prior to her work at Center Stage Teri worked with a number of non-profit arts organizations in Santa Barbara, Berkeley, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles as an Executive Director, Development Director, Marketing Director, non-profit management consultant, stage manager and production manager. Teri is a member of the California Chapter of NIVA, and a member of the Legislative Committee of the Theatre Producers League of Southern California. She has a masters degree in Non-Profit Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon.
KADRICK BLATT Associate Sound Designer is a second-year Film and Media Studies and Theatrical Design and Production double major at UCSB. He has worked on a variety of dance shows and theatrical performances at UCSB in a wide range of positions, including assistant stage managing a production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, designing lights for The Crucible and Spring Dance, and designing sound for Night Night, Roger Roger (which was later nominated for Best Sound Design in Broadway World, Santa Barbara). Kadrik was heavily involved in theatre before coming to UCSB, including stage managing productions of The Addam’s Family, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and She Loves Me. Kadrik hopes to join the film industry post-graduation and eventually operate in roles relative to cinematography and production.
KAEDE KOGO Technical Director & Sound Designer is a native of Japan who graduated from UC Santa Barbara Theater & Dance Department in 2020. In addition to Technical Direction she is a lighting designer, and during the pandemic began working as a video designer and editor. Kaede's design credits include Dear Hope (Hangar Theater Company), Generations (UCSB Initiative for New & Reimagined Work), SHANGHAI (UCSB Launch Pad Production) and at Center Stage: You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, ENOUGH: Plays To End Gun Violence( a festival of 7 plays), Personal Stories, Holiday Memories, Lifelines, Goleta School of Ballet Senior Solos, and Dance With Harout Celebration.