Lusia Strus

2007 LA WEEKLY AWARD WINNER - BEST SOLO SHOW!!
it ain't no fairy tale enjoys 3 COMMAND PERFORMANCES in LA before making NYC Premier!

LAWEEKLY says "Just when you feel you'd rather throw yourself out a 10th-floor window than sit through another autobiographical one-woman show ... along comes Lusia Strus, reinvigorating the meaning of "character" in the term character actress."
In it ain't no fairy tale, Lusia Strus interweaves the relationship of her Ukrainian immigrant parents with her own marriage.  "In the process, she offers a ferociously honest, fiercely impassioned, often starkly funny and deeply moving look at what it means to take and keep wedding vows ... and what it takes to break them." (Chicago Sun Times)  An evolving show about the differences between what we insist life promises and what it delivers.  "Yesterday's honesty can be today's bullsh*t", says Strus.  Things get in the way of "happily ever after" ... like addiction ... and cancer ... and honesty.  Honestly always gets in the way of the story.  It just does.

PICK OF THE WEEK  -  LA WEEKLY
CRITIC'S CHOICE - Chicago Reader
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -  The Chicago Tribune
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Chicago Sun-Times
PICK OF THE WEEK -  New City Times
RAVE -   Tolucan Times

"Rarely have the terror and wonder of the words "love, honor and cherish"  been explored with more heart and soul. A tour de force that should be required viewing for any couple approaching the altar.
- Chicago Sun Times

"Strus' masterful text and laser-sharp delivery throw more vibrant hues across Steppenwolf's gray garage than the richest Technicolor film ever could.

-      Chicago Reader

"A writer of exceptional power and skill, who just happens to be able to interpret her work better than anybody else around."

- Chicago Tribune

"Lusia Strus is potty mouthed and delicious."

- Time Out Chicago

"A disarming piece of writing."

- Windy City Times

'Strus peels back the layers of connubiality until it is raw "it  ain't no fairy tale" is a parable where you get to laugh at the ogres of pretense."

-    The Ticket Stub!

"A rewarding evening where the simplicity is welcome, where less is so much more, where an actor shows her talent not by how much she can do but by how subtly and earnestly she permeates and presents the story.  To be clear, this is a rave review."

-      Tolucan Times

'A riveting story of of addiction, destruction and devotion."

-     Chicago Reader