After 12 performances in western Montana, nearly all of them sold-out, Melissa Bangs brings her one-woman show, “Playing Monopoly with God and Other True Stories” to the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish March 12. It’s her last show in Montana before embarking on a nine-city West Coast tour.
“This is a story about things they don’t teach you in birth class,” she begins. “I want to be a woman you’ve met. I want this to be a story you’ve heard.”
During her first class at the New York City improv comedy club Upright Citizens Brigade, Melissa Bangs’ teacher gave her two tasks:
One. Every time you get on stage, have the guts to make a fool of yourself. Take risks. Find out what’s on the other side of the more intimidating (more interesting) action.
Two. See as much comedy at the club as possible. Do your homework. Study the ninjas. Find the magic. Then, figure out how it’s done.
Bangs had landed at Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) on a double-dog dare from her mother. Everywhere she lived, her mom visited. Every time she visited, they took in some comedy. Their night at UCB was a phenomenal knee-slapper. One problem. Of over a dozen comics, only three were women and only one was funny. That one was Amy Poehler.
Given that Bangs had never been able to walk away from a double-dog dare from her mom, Poehler soon became Bangs’ homework. Her ninja. Her master.
When Bangs left New York City in 2004 to return home to Montana, comedy class (and the live performances in front of a NYC audience) were among the hardest parts to leave behind. Comedy, and specifically improv, had taught her so much.
Bangs never could have imagined that the next time she’d be performing comedy live on-stage, she’d be telling the true story of her agonizing journey to the psych ward.
In September 2012, at 40 years old, Bangs gave birth to her beautiful daughter, Adelaide. One month later, profoundly sleep deprived, Bangs was admitted to the Providence Psychological Inpatient Unit.
What came next was an extraordinary journey, one she has transformed into a non-fiction storytelling experience that is both wildly funny and terribly tragic.
Bangs packed houses and sold out shows throughout western Montana in 2015, with over 1,700 people taking in her harrowing true tale. The most common bit of feedback she heard was, “I was laughing or crying the entire time.”
While a reported 15% of women will experience a post-partum mood disorder of some kind, Post Partum Support International suggests the true number is much larger due to the fact that stigma and fear leave women feeling isolated and simply enduring, rather than seeking help.
While this show is definitely for parents that have experienced a rough postpartum patch, it is equally for anyone that has experienced loss. Bangs says, “We’ve all had our postpartum psychosis. Yours might have been cancer, divorce or the death of a dear one. For anyone that has ever arrived in a moment in life in which the bottom momentarily drops out and there is no instruction manual, this story is for you.”
She says with a smile, “If you are human and/or have a mother, this story is for you.”
The Whitefish event starts at 6 p.m. March 12 with a cash bar and mingling; the show starts at 7 p.m. tickets are $20-$24. Order online at www.playingmonopolywithgod.com.