Trust ̶E̶x̶e̶r̶c̶i̶s̶e̶s̶ Exorcises

I trust Phil

Give him a chance to earn your trust too. Come see this show!

Great storytelling!

Phil has an amazing ability to make terrible experiences compelling and funny (and moving and thought-provoking). Highly recommended!!

A Hilarious Emotional Journey

Phil is an excellent storyteller - let me get that out of the way right away. You WILL be sucked into what he's letting you in on, no matter what. The show is intimate, but open. Funny, but sad. Personal, but universal. He's letting you in on something so personal that he's exorcising, but trusting the audience to have at least a small kernel of personal experience that you can feel at least some part of what he's went through. Energetic, the space filled with his stories, it is truly a moving experience to see Phil's shows. The highest possible recommendation for a live experience at the Fringe.

Engaging vignettes, but where is the dramatic arc?

Phil's vignettes and energetic style kept us fairly engaged through the hour, though we left wanting more: maybe a more explicit dramatic arc, though we do understand that the drama teacher's behavior impacted Phil's later life; or maybe some more detail about his research into the teacher's later life (even if he did fall off the internet radar). As we left the theater, we were chatting about how the prompts from the spinning wheel could have been better integrated into the story line.

Great show about a disturbing topic

I'm not sure how I ended up enjoying a memoir of an abusive high school experience, but Phil Gonzales managed it. Amazing story telling and emotional honesty and genuine humor amidst the pain. This is great theater.

Intense but funny too

The possible darker side of the theater and high school experience explored by an engaging and often hilarious storyteller. He says he has trust issues but he trusts the audience with some truly painful and damaging memories. But on the whole, he uplifts the audience as well with his humor and insistence that the manipulated and abused are not the broken ones. It's a dark but very entertaining bit of storytelling!

Dark yet funny

Phil's father sound like a great guy. He wanted to participate in the lives on his children, including his son in high school. When things seemed hinky, he investigated. Phil spins the wheel and tells stories about his high school theater department. People contact the principal, students contact the police, nothing is done because the students win awards. Despite the dark theme, there was humor in the telling of stories. I found the end to be uplifting. We are damaged, he is broken.

The Exorcism of a Cult Abuser

It was difficult to hear the words cult, high school, theatre, and the name of a revered and feared teacher together. Phil Gonzales was very creative in using a spinning wheel to tell parts of a high school history that was more tragic drama than light hearted musical. The way Phil described a charismatic cult leader taking on a flock or needy followers was sad and disturbing as each level of the onion was pulled back. Equally disturbing was the fact that an abusive teacher was allowed to continue in a very powerful position despite warnings and concerns by parents and students. Where the abuser is today and how many victims did or did not survive is unknown. However, the courage of one person to say this is my story, might give others the ability to say, "Me too" and keep the movement of truth going forward. Thanks Phil.

It Charms. It Challenges. We have a crush on Phil

Phil Gonzales charms and challenges the audience with his storytelling. I found myself laughing and gasping only moments apart. I think only someone who has truly mulled through and exorcised their past can tell this story with Phil's level of precision, nimbleness, and humor. Yet, due to a wheel of chance, he never tells the same story the same way twice. You'll leave the show examining the shadows of your past and perhaps encounters with similar people or experiences - i think that is a sign of a powerful production. We are all better for exorcising with Phil.

Now I Have A Crush on Phil

Phil is a gifted storyteller, and here he is telling stories of his experiences in a competitive theater program in Texas. His description of the abusive theater director are riveting, and I left wanting to hear more about literally all of it.

Inventive, Poignant, Real Storytelling

Phil Gonzales became one of my favorite storytellers two years ago with Lost in Bear Country (which led me to his spectacularly entertaining and shockingly enlightening podcast), so I had high expectations for this piece. These expectations were thoroughly smashed. There is unmatched heart in this truly troubling (and yet occasionally deeply hilarious) tale of abuse of power and vulnerable teenagers searching for belonging. It’s incredible what depths can be plumbed when the capable performer establishes such trust with their audience (a two-way street). I laughed, I cried, I found myself saying “uuuuuh Phil, we played a DIFFERENT version of Human Knot”. Stellar, truly.

A story well told, a cautionary tale of authority

Sadly, the adults in a child's life are not always wonderful. A problem adult being allowed to be a problem adult is even more frustrating. Phil tells a polished story of surviving his high school theatre cult. I enjoyed his performance so much.