By HANNAH WING BONICA
There is always something special about artists coming together to collaborate on a work. In lys scott’s chronicles of a crazy girl, that special feeling of vibrant artist energy is apparent in each and every aspect of their performance art. lys scott’s crazy girl, which was staged at KST Alloy Studios, is part of Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Freshworks series, where emerging artists get a chance to showcase their creativity to the Pittsburgh community. lys scott (she/they) is an LGBTQIA+, first-generation Thai American artist based in Pittsburgh, and her album, “Squashed Dreams and Broken Wings” was released in 2022.
Throughout crazy girl, lys takes her audience on a personal journey through a series of vignettes punctuated by music, dance, and multimedia visuals. lys’s singing voice is low and warm, almost reminiscent of a jazz singer, and their rapping flows steadily to synthy beats. Mostly, lys is singing or rapping on her own, but occasionally she is joined by Bella Figlia, also known as Elizabeth Joan Harris, for a song or two. lys and Bella’s voices melt together as they sing about love and vulnerability in relationships. Bella isn’t the only artistic collaborator who is on stage or musically present with lys. Bianca, Ariel Xiu, Likha Oasis, Risski, ShimmerOS, and Skyler Brimmeier are all artists who worked with lys to make chronicles of a crazy girl a reality. There is even a little green puppet, who sort of looks like a character from Fraggle Rock, who takes over the keys in a few songs.
There are a lot of details to take in during chronicles of a crazy girl. Before the show, lys invites the audience to walk around and look at the set. However, many of these set pieces, such as an elaborate combination desk and stove made entirely of cardboard, are only used for a short time before they are moved offstage. Much of the performance is spent trying to move around the set pieces, and unfortunately, the transitions disrupt the story’s momentum. chronicles of a crazy girl is full of symbolism and metaphors, but this prevents a common narrative thread from emerging, which creates confusion about what is happening during each vignette. Two moments emerge as contenders for the strongest storytelling parts of the chronicles of a crazy girl.
One moment involves a pair of really long pants. Lys is being forced to put on these pants by two dancers. Once the pants are on, she struggles back and forth with the dancers, as she tries to get out of the situation she has put herself in. The music set to this particular scene is haunting, echoing the intensity of the struggle, and lys eventually is able to break free. Another standout moment in terms of storytelling and artistic performance is at the very beginning, where a person representing lys is put through the paces of working a low-wage job and eventually getting another job that is just as bad as the first one. The dancers are part of a big corporate machine–going through the motions of work over and over again. In the background a clip from I Love Lucy shows Lucy working at the chocolate factory over and over again. Eventually, the trance is broken when the real lys emerges to put a stop to it all in a rage as they shout: “I quit!”
chronicles of a crazy girl has potential, and lys scott, along with her collaborators, can make that possible by creating a clearer common thread to center the story throughout the performance.
lys scott’s chronicles of a crazy girl premiered at KST Alloy Studios on November 8 and November 9, 2026. Be sure to check out Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Freshworks series. Find out more
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
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