The Monster – Siobhan O’Loughlin Delivers a Two-Part Story About an Extrovert’s Hell

While 2020 has been a lot of different things to different people, isolation is likely a common theme for many. The enforced social-distancing and restrictions on in-person gatherings have made it harder to build and maintain connections with people. Whether it’s not seeing people in the office every day, not being able to grab drinks with friends at your usual haunts, or not being able to be part of the crowd at a live show, after seven months of partial or full quarantine, it’s easy to feel cut off.

This is especially true for extroverts, who feel most at home surrounded by others. Alone, they wilt. In Siobhan O’Loughlin’s latest Zoom-based production The Monster, she explores the loneliness 2020 has inflicted by turning it into an entity. Here, loneliness becomes a malevolent force, waiting in the shadows, eager to stick its claws into her as soon as she lets her guard down.

Part Horror Story, Part Group Therapy

The Monster is part of O’Loughlin’s ongoing Please Don’t Touch the Artist (PDT) series, which alternates between less formal workshop sessions and fully fleshed-out, staged (though still improv-heavy) productions. The Monster falls into the latter category. Technically a remount, the show is broken up into two one-hour parts hosted over Zoom – Part One focuses on O’Loughlin talking to a friend about her emotional struggles in the COVID era, while Part Two is a choose-your-own-adventure story about a brief romantic connection right before social-distancing became a thing.

But O’Loughlin’s storytelling is only part of what The Monster is about. Audience interaction is as integral here as it is to her other PDT shows, both with other guests and O’Loughlin herself. Participants are encouraged to comment on the proceedings and share their thoughts in the live chat, answer polls, and even volunteer to share their own stories that relate to whatever O’Loughlin is dealing with in the plot. Often, and especially given the themes of The Monster, volunteering ends up being a therapeutic exercise as the participant, O’Loughlin, and the audience work through whatever is troubling them together.

On the Herding of Cats

One of the key parts of managing a show that hinges on give-and-take with the audience like The Monster is actually wrangling said audience. Here the task falls to Siobhán Stergis, who does an excellent job with managing the chat, polling, volunteer selections, and in general keeping things on track. O’Loughlin is an important part of the process as well, effortlessly filling otherwise dead space with greeting participants by name and expressing why she’s happy that they’ve come, or peppering in anecdotes of her own while waiting for the next volunteer.

One positive deviation from the previous incarnations of The Monster is how the plot gets steered in Part Two’s choose-your-own-adventure decision points. Rather than just asking the audience to vote in chat, a volunteer is picked to give a suggestion for which way O’Loughlin should jump, and then participants agree or disagree while Stergis probes on their thinking. This helps avoid a break in the action while still letting everyone feel like they have input.

What’s that Sound?

The sound design in The Monster also bears special acknowledgement. While we never see or speak with the monster called Lonely, it makes its presence known through creepy, hair-raising noises whenever O’Loughlin reaches a moment of longing or self-doubt. It is the grating sound of isolation, self-sabotage, and clinging to things we know we’d best not keep, and sound designer Brandon Roe deserves credit for translating these feelings into audio.

A Human Dynamo

The heart of The Monster, however, is O’Loughlin. A consummate storyteller with a rare gift for creating a strong connection with total strangers, she keeps the audience enthralled with her energy and fearlessness when sharing her genuine self. The specifics of The Monster’s plot may be not wholly true, but her feelings and boundless enthusiasm are.

It’s that expressiveness and willingness to let her guard down that make O’Loughlin so charming a performer. It feels like O’Loughlin is barely even playing a role in The Monster, instead holding court with beloved friends and strangers as she describes how she would have felt if she really had been there. That’s not a criticism, but rather an acknowledgement of how effective she is at being genuine within the performance.

Stay for the After-Party

The cast of The Monster also sticks around after the show for Q&A and general socializing. As with other PDT shows, this can extend well into the wee hours of the morning from O’Loughlin’s east-coast perspective. It’s rare for a cast to make themselves so accessible, but it’s a core part of O’Loughlin’s craft. Much of what defines her performances is her willingness to be absolutely vulnerable with an audience. The Monster is in many ways a window into her soul, and she encourages the audience to likewise bare theirs in a safe, welcoming environment.

Should you Go?

The Monster is spooky in places, heartfelt in others, and charming throughout. Expect plenty of humor, a delightful and genuine hostess, and occasionally surprising anecdotes from some very interesting people. If you’re grappling with your own feelings of isolation and loneliness, enjoy storytelling as an art form, or just want to check out something a little different, The Monster is well worth a look. Parts One and Two are largely self-contained, so while both are recommended you won’t miss any important story if you have to pick one. If one is your only option, Part Two is probably the one to choose, and stick around afterward if you can.

The final show (at least for now) takes place on Friday, October 30^th, 2020. Both parts will be performed consecutively, with a one-hour break in between – Part One runs from 6-7pm PDT, while Part Two runs from 8-9pm PDT. Tickets range from $10-$32, but that is meant to allow folks to pay according to their current means. For more information on the Please Don’t Touch the Artist series, including upcoming shows, you can check out the series’ website here. You can also follow O’Loughlin directly on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.