Nora Dunn in <i>Mythical Proportions</i>

Saturday Night Live alum, actress and comedienne Nora Dunn opened her one-woman show, Mythical Proportions, at Theatre Wit on August 19th. In this 70-minute performance, Dunn does what she does best: brings her own characters to life in a series of touching and hilarious skits.

Like most comedians who are truly funny, Dunn has a dark side that comes through in her comedy. Hitting on potentially bleak subjects through her characters, Dunn sheds light on these subjects and cracks them open through her comedy. For example, Dunn highlights the sad state of television content through her brilliantly written seven-year-old character Joanne who, in addition to being mystified by the small world of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, also regales on the life of the inmates in a TV series called Lockdown. Then, in seconds and before our very eyes, Dunn reveals her full spectrum of talent by transforming herself from a young Joanne to her mythical 87-year-old Hollywood doyenne, Roberta Evans, who comments on the goings-on in Hollywood, having discovered the greatest stars of the '50s.

Dunn, who hails from Chicago and distinctly middle class roots, brings her upbringing with her on stage when she recounts some of her own funny stories just starting out on Saturday Night Live. One particularly funny story has to do with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and a wooden leg. I won't spoil it for you. You will want to hear it yourself!

If you have the chance to see Ms. Dunn at Theatre Wit, don't miss the opportunity to be up close and personal with this huge talent before the show moves on. Mythical Proportions runs through September 22. In the interim, here is a glimpse of Nora Dunn from her appearance on The Dinner Party doing her impression of Saturday Night Live veteran, Lorne Michaels, and recounting a juicy story on Warren Beatty.