By Bart Greenberg***Previously known as a cabaret performer in New York City, Barbara Heller has considerably expanded her talents to encompass acting and writing. In Messianic Moments & Cosmic
Conversations at the United Solo Festival, Heller brings eight divergent women to life, ranging from 18 to 88, from various backgrounds and ethnicities, linked by their often tenuous connections to Judaism; it’s certainly a challenge—and she mostly succeeds in meeting it. The basis for each story is in those the actress encountered and interviewed on the street and who then were transformed into the characters of her adaptation. While there is a certain resemblance to the works of Anna Devere Smith and others of the genre, the show’s spiritual base and positive world view are uniquely Heller’s.
The conceit of the program is that Heller is filming a documentary, asking each of her random subjects “have you ever made a deal with God?” She alternates between filmed clips of reflecting on life while going about her day in her apartment, and live deliveries of the interviewees’ thought
s and responses (though only some get around to answering the essential question). Many of the interviews end with a brief original song, also by the playwright, who reveals a lovely voice. However, the songs are not of such significance as to merit the evening being called a musical. Modest costume changes give suggestions of each personality, aided by effective lighting by Gregory Crafts. The play was directed by Eva Minemar with a minimum of fuss and a nice rhythm.
Some of the most memorable characters are: Doris, a 78-year-old attorney with attitude (shades of Judge Judy); Hilary, a 28-year-old English marketing exec for a world famous gastroenterologist, who enjoys doing her not-too-steady imitations of celebrities (Josh Groban and Celine Dion, among others) and singing tales about constipation; and Daisy, an 18-year-old college student exploring her spirituality in the New Mexico desert. These women, 
and the others, are brought vividly to life by Heller with a great deal of wit and compassion—very well done within the constraints of the show’s time limit..
The production was part of the United Solo Festival (www.unitedsolo.org), which is a wonderful celebration of one-person shows, staged at the Theater Row complex on 42nd St. However, they have strict rules as to the length of each presentation (55 minutes). Heller’s show needs more room to breathe, with a deeper dive into each woman so they are less a character study in stasis and more have a story to tell with a beginning, a middle and an end. And the songs need to be expanded to be better entwined within the individual tales so they then can make more of an impact. It will be very interesting to see if and how Heller expands this intriguing work in the future.
