Asheville – Just this year alone, Paula O’Brien mesmerized audiences as Prospero in Montford Park Players’ The Tempest. She wowed them with her powerful vocals as The Boss in The Magnetic Theatre’s Happyland and made us laugh while breaking our hearts as Laura in The Magnetic’s Fish.
And it was only 2 years ago that she delighted and endeared us as Helga in the opening act of Montford Park Players’ Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a character I wrote.
Coming to The Magnetic Theatre on November 3rd–5th is the event everyone who has ever seen her perform has been waiting for. Entitled “Who Does She Think She Is?” O’Brien’s one-woman show will be an unforgettable night of stories from her life, as well as quite a few songs, many of which she composed.
As the press release says, it’s “one woman’s journey from Ireland to WNC, with many stops along the way.”
I was quite fortunate to watch part of a rehearsal, and she was, as I knew she would be, delightful, hilarious, captivating, and wonderfully enigmatic.
Her original songs spoke directly to my soul. These were not the lyrics and music of an amateur who dabbles in the art form. O’Brien has taken classes, and from what I heard that night, she must have passed every one with top marks. They are solid pieces, and they will leave you wanting more.
O’Brien seems to push herself to improve in all the art she pursues. A dedication to each craft has not gone unnoticed in Asheville’s theater world.
To prepare for her role as Antonia in 2022’s Much Ado About Nothing for Montford Park Players’, she took classes on performing Shakespeare from Nemesis Theatre’s Melon Wedick. Even with this one-woman show coming up, she has also been spending part of her time learning Improv with Adesto Theatre.
Who Does She Think She Is?, as described by the Irish artist, will be “an evening of caint, ceoil, agus craic (stories, music, and fun)!”
Written and performed by O’Brien, with accompanist Steve Sensenig on keyboard, shows will be at The Magnetic Theatre on Friday, November 3, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 4, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 5, at 4 p.m.
Tickets and additional information can be found at TheMagneticTheatre.org.