Customer Reviews

The English American

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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.

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.

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.

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.

This wonderfully gifted English comedian's search for her American birth parents becomes an irresistible odyssey that succeeds in making her story one any listener will take to heart. Her quick changes--especially the many shifts from nurturing adoptive mother to over-the-top southern birth mother--are instantly, effortlessly convincing. All the reviews I've read as I write this one stress how funny and poignant this gifted performer is. She is certainly both, and often at the same time. Although no one can listen to this CD without gaining valuable insight into the feelings of adoptive mothers and their daughters, Larkin's comedy is universal.

This CD of a one-woman show was recommended to me by a friend who knows I gave up a child for adoption many years ago. I certainly gained insight into an adoptees feelings, but I also laughed so hard it hurt. Alison Larkin has a wonderful, generous gift for comedy that is uniquely hers. There are surprises upon surprises--you never know what turn she's going to take. I've played THE ENGLISH AMERICAN for a good friend who has no children, adopted or otherwise, and she enjoyed it immensely. I recommend it without qualification.

I chanced upon the CD a couple of weeks ago, and the title intrigued me. This was recorded during a live performance in L.A, and traces Larkin's search for her 'birth parents', from her days as a kid running around naked in the rain with the local Kenyans to her rather severe and proper days as a border at an English girls private (or public, as they call them over there) school. She converts here real life experiences into comedy in a unique way which made me crack up every other second! There is no doubting her ability as a comedienne. As the story progresses we hear about Larkin's soul searching during the process of realising that she had to meet and speak to her biological parents, the 'final piece in the jigsaw', as she puts it. A serious and profoundly moving topic is somehow explained, and one is left admiring the courage of the author, who possibly wishes to show that reunions of this nature can be very positive. The listener is left in no doubt who the 'true' parents are at every stage of the journey.

Highly recommended!

I saw Alison Larkin performing live at The Comedy Store in L.A. As a very English fish out of water in an all-American world, she was immensely appealing, funny, political, smart and improvisationally brilliant. I've never seen anyone like her on the comedy circuit, and I was thrilled to learn about the release of her first comedy album. I bought it immediately, and listened to this seventy minute recording in one sitting.

With wit, intelligence, and the kind of deep comedic take on life found in Garrison Keeler, Bill Cosby and Victoria Wood Larkin weaves into this extraordinary tale fresh, funny, sharp observations about the differences between the Brits and the Yanks, with which any American who has spent time in Britain will identify. I also bought a copy for a British friend of mine who lives in America, who loved it, laughing and laughing as Larkin, an original, caught between two cultures, nailed the absurdities of both with wit and panache.

Larkin has sympathy for all her characters, and has no axe to grind. She leaves us, in the end, with a strong sense of the deep love she has for the parents who raised her.

The story is utterly compelling. As an Anglophile, I also loved the cultural humor.It's a dazzling blend of stand-up and theater from a uniquely talented comedian who is, I have no doubt, headed for the big time.

I saw Alison Larkin performing live at The Comedy Store in L.A. As a very English fish out of water in an all-American world, she was immensely appealing, funny, political, smart and improvisationally brilliant. I've never seen anyone like her on the comedy circuit, and I was thrilled to learn about the release of her first comedy album. I bought it immediately, and listened to this seventy minute recording in one sitting.

With wit, intelligence, and the kind of deep comedic take on life found in Garrison Keeler, Bill Cosby and Victoria Wood Larkin weaves into this extraordinary tale fresh, funny, sharp observations about the differences between the Brits and the Yanks, with which any American who has spent time in Britain will identify. I also bought a copy for a British friend of mine who lives in America, who loved it, laughing and laughing as Larkin, an original, caught between two cultures, nailed the absurdities of both with wit and panache.

Larkin has sympathy for all her characters, and has no axe to grind. She leaves us, in the end, with a strong sense of the deep love she has for the parents who raised her.

The story is utterly compelling. As an Anglophile, I also loved the cultural humor.It's a dazzling blend of stand-up and theater from a uniquely talented comedian who is, I have no doubt, headed for the big time.

Stand-up comedian Alison Larkin's debut CD is a must for anyone who's ever suffered an identity crisis or who simply loves to laugh. In the tradition of great storytelling comics like Bill Cosby, she takes us on a hilarious voyage of self-discovery, making us laugh and cry and, even more importantly, encouraging us to think through issues of family and connections while being thoroughly entertained. I cannot recommend this enough!