Nothing Can Stop Joanna Parson's "A Transcriber's Tale," Not Even American Airlines
Friday, June 21st, Los Angeles, CA
written by Entertainment Editor, Dan Ruth
Joanna Parson left New York City on an American Airlines whirlwind disaster across the US of A to join us here in Los Angeles for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. First in was holdover’s, then it was bumped flights which turned into flights the next day, but even that flight arrived too late to make her connecting flight to San Diego to pick up her mother-in-law’s car. Then the star of the self-penned A Transcribers Tale had to face the worst of this nail-biting nightmare - the airline lost her luggage, props and guitar, all meant for her show, currently playing at The Broadwater Black Box.
“The Hollywood Fringe community rallied so hard for me, my friend Adam Segaller (who announced the dilemma on the Hollywood Fringe Facebook page) ended up stenciling “Zabar’s” on the inside of a tote bag so that I could use it as a prop, and the guitar I use was borrowed from Lee Costello, one of my producers.“ A Transcriber’s Tale which continues Friday night at 10:30pm, is a beautifully touching multi-media show about her early years as a transcriber in the New York City of the 1990’s, with stories, graphics and personally written songs. “My guitar is coming tomorrow, literally the day of my taping," said Parson last night, “if my guitar, props and luggage show up tomorrow, it will have been seventeen days since I landed in California without any of it.”
Let’s cut to the chase, you need to see Joanna’s show.
Many performers move to New York City to seek fame, fortune and to chase their dreams, but it’s the part about “how am I going to survive” that often escapes those with said dreams. Joanna Parson’s A Transcriber’s Tale is set in a New York City of a more shall we say, analogue world; a world that I remember clearly, back when Backstage Magazine was still sold at your local bodega, when old theatre haunts such as O’Flaherty’s Ale House was still open on Restaurant Row and back when you could still smoke in bars, period. Most survived by working in the repetitive world of bar/restaurants, with its open schedules and quick cash. Not Joanna Parson, she answered an ad in the aforesaid Backstage Magazine, a magazine that she calls “the show business sheet of despair and student film auditions.”
The ad read: "Wanted - overqualified people to transcribe interesting material.”
Joanna Parson found herself thrust into the world of transcribing news programs; words, letters, digits, peek-interest stories, morning shows, murder shows, non-stop transcribing, with each story recorded on ancient relics called cassette tapes. Transcribing was a job that paid by the page, so the faster you could transcribe, the more money you could make, not a bad bang for the buck. That’s also a lot of data and information to take in, and Parson’s song, “Transcriber’s Express” humorously hammers the concept home. To the point, Joanna Parson’s music lives and breathes as accompaniment to her story. From the news, to scintillating private books by unnamed celebrities, to court cases, to the sobering days of 9-11 and its aftermath, Parson shares it all in the beautiful, funny and fascinating world of A Transcriber’s Tale. Joanna Parson is a wonderfully talented and gifted storyteller, who deserves to be seen and heard. Don’t miss A Transcribers Tale, which ultimately and unapologetically, props and guitar or not, remains a love letter to the city of New York.
A Transcriber’s Tale is directed by Aimee Todoroff, with musical direction by Drew Wutke. The show continues to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival beginning July 31 at The Gilded Balloon Patter House. Godspeed, Joanna, may the travel gods bless you on Scottish soil with a gift of your luggage, props and guitar.
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