by ⭐⭐⭐½
Irish actress Sarah Maria Lafferty co-starred in a two-hander “The Bad Daters” at the 2023 Fringe, and she returns this summer with a solo show bearing a slightly misleading title. After all, Lafferty will be the first to acknowledge she’s no movie star yet. But she has a plan. And it’s all thanks to Gabriel Byrne?
In this bare-bones, no-frills production, she takes you through her childhood into young womanhood as she hopes to climb the acting ladder from Princess #4 all the way to the biggest stages and screens by following in the footsteps of the famous Irishman. That Byrne worked as a schoolteacher in the Dublin suburbs before turning to acting at 29 only convinces Lafferty that she’s on the right path. Even if that finds her teaching more than acting. Or in an amusingly awkward narrative arc, bumping into Byrne himself in both Dublin and New York City multiple times over the years. Many an aspiring actor/performer waits tables or slings drinks before they make it big, and so, too, does Lafferty. We get glimpses into her life working at the pub, trying to get through the night in hostile hostel conditions, and struggling to keep up with a most disciplinary drama school.
As a comedy, the laughs are on the lighter side. But you’re there to find out if Lafferty’s going to become a star. And her charm has you rooting for her all the way.
How to Become a Movie Star plays theSpace through Aug. 22, 2025.
