Mike Lemme
‘Maria DeCotis delivers a captivating solo performance that truly dominates both the stage and the audience's attention...
This is a masterpiece that showcases theatre in its finest form.
A must-see for anyone seeking a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking, and heartwarming theatrical journey.'
★★★★★
EdFest Reviews
Press Photos: Arin Sang-urai
Before The Drugs Kick In
Written, Directed & Produced by Mike Lemme
Starring Maria DeCotis
Movement Direction by Mandy Gordon
Produced by Rotten Science
Maria DeCotis Interview Clip - Describing the show and why the story is so important.
Before The Drugs Kick In premiered at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world, to multiple four and five star reviews, while being nominated for two of the festival's biggest awards, the BBC Writersroom Popcorn Award for Best New Writing and the Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award. The one-woman show recently concluded its fourth independent run of performances in New York City with 10 performances at UNDER St. Marks, 15 performances at the Court Square Theater, 8 performances at Theaterlab, and 8 performances Off-Broadway at Lynn F. Angelson Theater. The Broadwater: Main Stage Theater in Los Angeles and The Barons Court Theatre in London have hosted additional performances of the play.
Maria DeCotis stars as Lynn T. Walsh, a 62-year-old woman in an insane asylum, who closes her eyes and becomes a 28-year-old stand-up comedian with everyone in the audience being part of her imagination. When she was younger, Lynn attempted suicide in front of her children and she is now using the meditative power of stand-up comedy to explain what influenced this mistake and why she deserves a second chance at being a mother and simply a human being with thoughts, feelings, and ambitions.
Before The Drugs Kick In provides a voice to the voiceless while doing a deep dive on gender politics and societal norms. Not a single performance has gone by without at least one person telling us how much they related to the play and the story behind it. By bringing this play to larger audiences through a longer and more established Off-Broadway production, we can help more people feel less alone when it comes to the most vulnerable moments of their life.
Every production of the play so far has been entirely self-funded through the creative team and donations from supporters. As a result, Before The Drugs Kick In has already contributed over $19,000 to local, independent, and experimental theaters in the US and UK, helping these important theaters keep their lights on for more stories to be told.
Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to help us continue to tell Lynn's story.
Before The Drugs Kick In is dedicated to anyone, especially young mothers of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, who society wrote off as crazy instead of giving them an opportunity to live.
Content Warning: Before The Drugs Kick In contains distressing themes with strong language and mentions of suicide but it's also full of punchlines too.
For press, production, or producing inquiries, contact: Mike Lemme - mike@mikelemme.com
Press: Edinburgh Fringe + New York City
Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award - Shortlist - Nominee
Before becoming the hit Netflix show, Baby Reindeer was nominated for the same award at the Fringe in 2019! The Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award was established in 2017 to recognise outstanding new creative work at the Edinburgh Fringe that opens up conversations about mental health. 'Before The Drugs Kick In' was one of only seven shows to be nominated for the award!
BBC Writersroom Popcorn Award for Best New Writing - Longlist - Nominee
Championing brave and imaginative writing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The award celebrates fearless work which playfully and artistically addresses current affairs, questions societal trends, and contributes positively to public debate. 'Before The Drugs Kick In' was one of only 20 scripts to make the longlist!
'Wow! This play undeniably radiates brilliance that takes you on an unforgettable journey!'
'this production captures the essence of the human experience with incredible depth. The entire piece is a powerful exploration of identity, memory, and the passage of time. You'll find yourself laughing, pondering, and feeling deeply moved all at once. Maria DeCotis delivers a captivating solo performance that truly dominates both the stage and the audience's attention.'
This is a masterpiece that showcases theatre in its finest form. A must-see for anyone seeking a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking and heartwarming theatrical journey'
A strong central performance and characterisation brings this humorously and emotionally-rich work to life
'DeCotis gives a constantly engaging performance...It marks Lemme out as an exciting and thought-provoking artistic talent who should be receiving even more attention from audiences and critics.'
'Funny, thought provoking and sweet, time flies as you feel yourself entranced by a mind-blowing performance and leave the room wanting more.'
'A beautifully crafted monologue makes you intrigued about the life of a woman you do not know yet in a fictional moment grants us access to hear and see how the writer has delivered an ode to a remarkable woman who should not be forgotten.'
'Simplicity at its finest to offer a story that has been echoed through time and told through the perspective of the person unable to tell us but impossible to forget. A shocking start to a heartwarming ending'
'Audience members expecting a traditional stand-up routine will be in for a surprise.'
'While I started the show a little off-kilter, unsure how what I was viewing was meant to be consumed, I ended the show close to tears for a woman who does not exist. But even more so, I was moved by the truth of Lynn’s story, and all the very real women like her who do exist without a stage, without a platform, unheard.'
95% Rating: 'An incredible story of one woman’s desperate attempt at self-preservation'
'Before The Drugs Kick In is funny, heart-wrenching, and not to be missed. How Lemme creatively rolls out the story, discreetly turning one card after the other over until the deck is face up, creates one unexpected moment after one unexpected moment. DeCotis’s performance is staggering, as she is not one woman standing before us but two, and they each have something to say.'
'DeCotis delivers a positively spellbinding turn'
'Inspired by personal experience, Before The Drugs Kick In invites us inside the mind of one woman for a riveting, empathetic, and darkly funny exploration of mental health and its (mis)treatments and stigmas, especially where women are concerned; the oppressiveness and isolation of the suburbs; and what Betty Friedan termed the feminine mystique: the expectation that women should be happy with a combination of heteronormative marriage and domestic and reproductive labor.'