From Fringe 2024

You’re good for nothing… I’ll milk the cow myself

Natacha Ruck—Théâtre Cercle Molière

This is a family story. Though it spans continents and time, it’s a very personal series of stories and events.

Natacha Ruck weaves a tale, punctuated with song, telling of her ancestors. Central to the story is her mother.

As global history unfolds around Natacha’s mother, the mother navigates life as a diminutive yet powerful force. A mother who cares. A feisty woman who can lose her temper but remains grounded in love.

This is a European story. A French story. A coming to America story. A Jewish story. A story which examines, often with humour, the complex threads which bind generations together.

The play is an inspiration for anyone wanting to tell their own unfiltered family story, perhaps with “quelques chansons françaises” (a few French songs).

Rob Duncan

From Fringe 2024

You’re good for nothing… I’ll milk the cow myself

Natacha Ruck—Théâtre Cercle Molière

The title was what drew me to want to see this play. Problem is, the title has absolutely nothing to do with this show. Natasha Ruck of San Francisco does what she says she will do in her program blurb, almost. She tells the true story of three generations of the women in her family.

Ms. Ruck is a very capable actress with a sweet voice and great stage presence. The issue is, her family story isn’t very interesting nor is the play ‘hilarious, shocking or zany’ as the program claims; at least to me. The audience’s tepid reaction didn’t dissuade me of this opinion. I got a chuckle out of her mom taking on the school bully but the fact is, this was an adult assaulting a child, nasty as the child was.

My eyes kept closing, I kept checking the time, dreaming of a double expresso; and it was only afternoon. I kept wondering why she didn’t have a frank friend or coach to tell her the script wasn’t what it needed to be. She’s very capable of so much more.

Lisa Campbell