Relative Stranger

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Relative Stranger is a new one-woman show from standup comedian Chanel Ali. It tells the story of her difficult upbringing and how she found her family. At 60 minutes, it breezes by, and there are worse places to see a show than SoHo Playhouse.

We start with a funny bit where Ms. Ali confuses the HBO show Oz with The Wiz. (Only one of them has Michael Jackson.) This is the first of many laughs throughout this short show. Ms. Ali is being raised by foster parents because she was taken away from her mom, who experimented with drugs “because she was pretty.” Then she goes to live with her grandmother, who is smoking crack. It is to the performer and author’s credit that things never feel overly maudlin.

She’s frustrated (“adults are basically clueless”) and understandably so. Whether it’s her foster parents or her blood relatives, nobody seems to know how to raise her properly. She has a child’s logic – “if somebody would just tell them” what to do, everything would be ok. “Adults needed to hear my ideas.”

The story continues with Ms. Ali finding out who her father is (this is all pre-Facebook so it’s harder) – he’s a police officer and body builder. They develop a relationship which gets soured when he goes back on his promise to help her with college tuition. Spoiler alert: he’s not the best guy in the world.

The strongest part of the show is when she finds out, due to a 23andMe commercial, that she has a brother named Anthony in Philadelphia. She’s initially nervous – she dated a lot of Anthony’s in Philadelphia – but eventually determines that no, she did not date her brother. Anthony is a soldier in Bahrain, and he’s thrilled to discover he has a sister. Their father, on the other hand, is in denial, something else that leads to a rift between them.

The show ends with a very powerful message to stop taking crap from the people in your lives. It flows nicely from what has come before.

The minimal set is by Christine Page, but all Relative Stranger really needs is a stage. The lighting, by Dan Robinson, is good but without it, the show would be fine. It could play anywhere, which is a strength. (Earlier versions have appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe and other festivals.) It’s a small space so I don’t think she needs the microphone.

Director Ryan Cunningham has helped Ms. Ali shape the show into a strong piece of theater. There are sound cues (it’s raining so you hear rain, that sort of thing) and it helps make it feel less like standup and more like a show.

Overall, Relative Stranger is a solid evening of theater. Here’s hoping the short run extends, or maybe gets adapted into a series. The story is worth it.

Relative Stranger (through September 28, 2025)

SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit https://www.relativestrangershow.com/

Running time: 60 minutes without an intermission