Alison Larkin's hit one woman show - a comedy set on two continents, recorded live in Los Angeles. Based on the true story of adopted British comedian Alison Larkin's reunion with her American birth mother, The English American has played to packed houses and high critical acclaim since it's world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival's Assembly Rooms in August 2000.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A passionate, witty and enthralling tale that also takes a hilarious look at the divide between England and America." -- Clive Pearse, NBC t.v., March 2000
"Anyone whose lives have been touched by adoption in any way will identify with this marvelous, funny, poignant show." -- Annette Baran, author of "The Adoption Triangle" and "Lethal Secrets"
"Infectious enthusiasm, razor-sharp wit; Larkin is both poignant, tenderly, genuinely tackling her adoption-induced identity crisis, and effortlessly funny." -- Olly Lassman, The List, 10-17 Aug 2000
"Anyone whose lives have been touched by adoption in any way will identify with this marvelous, funny, poignant show." -- Annette Baran, author of "The Adoption Triangle" and "Lethal Secrets"
"Infectious enthusiasm, razor-sharp wit; Larkin is both poignant, tenderly, genuinely tackling her adoption-induced identity crisis, and effortlessly funny." -- Olly Lassman, The List, 10-17 Aug 2000
About the Author
Alison Larkin speaks with a British accent and drinks lots of tea. Actually, she hails from Bald Mountain, Tennessee. To explain: adopted at birth and raised in England and Africa by English parents, Alison arrived in America in 1992 to meet her birth mother for the first time. As she told audiences at The Comic Strip shortly after arriving in New York City, "Three months ago I thought I was English. But I'm not. I'm a Red Neck."
A successful career in the English Theatre behind her, Alison decided to stay in America and launched a career in stand-up comedy, appearing regularly at The Comic Strip and other top clubs in New York City. She moved to Los Angeles in February 1998 and now headlines regularly at The Comedy Store. She recently played The Tropicana in Las Vegas and was featured on ABC-TV's Eye on LA as one of LA's funniest women.
In the US, Alison appeared on Broadway as Elsie in the Royal National Theatre's Olivier award-winning production of Stanley at Circle in the Square.
In the world of animation Alison can be heard weekly, all around the world, as the voice of Hermione in the hit cartoon Mike, Lu and Og, as Pauline in the PBS cartoon Pauline's Perilous Pyramid, and as several characters in Walt Disney's Pocahontas 11.
She co-stars as The Good Witch of the North in the new NPR adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with Annette Bening, Phyllis Diller and John Goodman.
Recent guest star appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Comic Relief, Providence and Holding the Baby have introduced her to a national audience.
Jim Henson Productions and ABC t.v. and later Fox t.v. Studios and CBS developed The Untitled Alison Larkin Sit-Com, based on The English American, starring Alison and co-created by Alison and Emmy Award winning comedy writers Gail Parent and Joseph Staretski. The latest version is currently "on hold" with CBS t.v.
The US Premiere of The English American will take place in Los Angeles at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood from October 24th to December 14th 2001, prior to a New York run in 2002.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A "Meet the Parents" When the Parents are Your Own,
By Mike Miller (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The English American (Audio CD)
Several of my closest friends are adopted, so I was instinctively drawn to this true tale of a witty, intelligent British woman's search for her American birth parents. That she and her fascinating pilgrimage are so damn funny proved an added bonus.A keen cultural observer, intelligent and witty, Larkin takes her audience on an at times suspenseful, at other time hilarious, journey of discovery, seeking to find her birth parents while still honoring her adopted ones. Playing multiple roles, she moves effortlessly and convincingly from one character's voice to another's, from English lilt to redneck rasp (picture Bridget Jones stepping off the train in Hooterville) -- so much so that one forgets there's but one woman on stage. Where some comedy CDs can vanish from memory after a listening or two, Larkin gives you out-loud laughs that linger, particularly since she treats you like family, holding little back. Her emotions become your emotions, and you're drawn to know more (like who this mystery father really is). If this is what you get when you cross American nature with British nurture, let's have more of it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Story of America,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The English American (Audio CD)
The story of America, really. A young hopeful leaves the old country for the new, dumps some tea in the bay, kills off the natives. Okay, that wasn't Alison Larkin's story, but she shows us a lot about ourselves as Americans, and about the meaning of country, family, genetics, and disgusting English treats. I'm not adopted myself (though who doesn't fantasize about it at least once in childhood), but it didn't matter, as it is really about the universal quest for identity and connection. And it was hilarious. Larkin is an amazing writer and actress, Tomlinesque in her characters. I laughed at/with her on three continents listening to the show.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than 'Secrets and Lies'? Yes!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The English American (Audio CD)
When I heard this c.d. was Nancy Ashe's number one adoption gift pick for 2001, on about.com, ahead of 'Secrets and Lies', I thought to myself 'okay, let's give it a go.' . And I was not disappointed.Alison Larkin is, a fresh, brilliantly talented, razor-sharp comedienne, who just happens to be adopted. An original voice with a compelling tale to tell, Alison Larkin had me hooked from the first line. "Hallo" she says, in beautifully clipped British tones, "My name is Alison Larkin, and I come from Bald Mountain, Tennessee. I am, in fact, an illegitimate daughter of the American revolution." Adopted at birth by British parents, this creative, appealing personality felt drawn to find her birth mother. Where is she? Bald Mountain, Tennessee. The diammetrical opposite of her adoptive mother, Alison's birth mother wants her daughter back. Loyal to the mother who raised her, but drawn to the American life, The English American is a heartwarming tale that, is, ultimately, a love letter to her adoptive parents. Into this tale, Ms Larkin weaves brilliant observations about her two countries. Belonging to both, yet belonging to neither, this brilliantly talented young woman looks at England and America from the point of view of one who is always destined to be an outsider.
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