LIHU‘E — Wendy Hammers has no problem taking it off in front of strangers. In her solo show “Undressing New Jersey,” the stand-up comedian strips down and bares her soul as she shares her journey from an insecure Jewish teenager
LIHU‘E — Wendy Hammers has no problem taking it off in front of strangers. In her solo show “Undressing New Jersey,” the stand-up comedian strips down and bares her soul as she shares her journey from an insecure Jewish teenager to a life lived happily ever after.
“It’s not like the ‘Jersey Shore,’ but I do love going back to my disco dancing days,” Hammers said. “The show is basically ‘Is there life after the mall?’ I talk about all the different things I dealt with growing up — trying to be cool in high school, having a boyfriend, smoking my first cigarette, moving to New York City, losing my innocence and trying to find love.”
The fast-talking East Coast native has no qualms sharing the most intimate details of her life to total strangers, whether it’s the embarrassment of attending her first Weight Watchers meeting, losing her virginity, getting married or getting divorced.
“It’s natural to tell the truth and find the funny in it,” Hammers said. “It’s cathartic to relive my entire life in an hour and a half, because I know it’s going to be a happy ending.”
The 90-minute show stops on Kaua‘i for two nights only, April 1–2 at 7:30 p.m.
During the solo show, Hammers embodies 12 different characters, including the tough-talking Italian girl at the diner, her beloved Grandma Gussie and her loudmouth mother. Hammers said there’s times in the production where she plays three or four characters at once.
Hammers wrote “Undressing New Jersey” in 1990.
“The original story was I fell in love, I got married and lived happily ever after,” Hammers said. “Then I got divorced, and I was a single mom raising my son.”
After the breakup of her marriage, Hammers put “Undressing New Jersey” on the shelf. After not performing it for more than a decade, she updated the show to include her life as a single mom.
“I don’t regret anything in my past,” Hammers said. “Everybody has gone through something dark; it’s part of who we are. The challenge is not to let it become who we are.”
“The play is a cheap ticket to the East Coast,” Hammers said. “Everyone who lives in Hawai‘i who misses their New York and East Coast roots can come see me. I’m bringing New Jersey to them, and the best part — it’s without the weather.”
See “Undressing New Jersey” 7 p.m. April 1 at Island School and 7:30 p.m. April 2 at Church of the Pacific in Lihu‘e. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. To purchase tickets, visit Papayas In Kapa‘a, Healthy Hut in Kilauea or Hanalei Surf in Hanalei, go online at www.BrownPaperTickets.com or call 800-838-3006.
Visit www.WendyHammers.com for more information about the actress.
• Andrea Frainier, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext. 257 or afrainier@ thegardenisland.com.
