LA-based writer and performer Midge Lema is bringing her latest show Bean vs. The Robots: A Solo Show Musical to the Hudson Backstage Theater as part of Hollywood Fringe, prior to a full month at the Edinburgh Fringe in August. She has one performance under her belt, and there will be additional dates through June, specifically shows June 14, 20 and 21.
Bean can’t remember anything about her life, or even why she went to space. She’s been trapped inside her spaceship for a very long time. Surprised that an audience wandered aboard, Bean takes the opportunity to sing them sad little songs from her weird little space solo show. As she sings, Bean begins to remember a mysterious entity, perhaps someone important, that she lost. Afraid of remembering or, even worse, disrupting her solo show, she deems it easier to trap the audience inside her spaceship forever! Who needs memories anyway?
Midge Lema’s third solo show Bean vs. The Robots is about the way grief seeps into our lives and pilfers our memories. And sometimes we turn to robots to help us fill that void. The show is a sequel to Midge Lema’s Bean, named “Best of Hollywood Fringe, 2011”, and called one of the “top ten shows not to miss” at the 2012 Fringe World Festival by The West Australian.
Says Lema: “As a kid, I tormented my family and classmates with little pop-up plays and monologues, usually set in a spaceship, always containing a character inspired by Elijah Wood. I would sing creepy little songs that probably still haunt everyone who heard them.” As an adult, Lema wrote and performed her first solo show Bean in 2011, and (Refried) Bean in 2014.
A new grief has driven Lema to return to developing her own work, including Bean vs. The Robots. She dusted off the keyboard and started writing sad little songs about space travel and Elijah Wood. One seemingly random song became the driving force for the show. She realized why she retreated into that imaginary spaceship as a kid. The weird little songs came at a feverish pace.
Workshopping Bean vs. The Robots in 2025, Lema felt she was back where she belonged: “all I want to do is to continue performing this show, absorbing the energy of the audience, and keep making it weirder… and always a little sad, for anyone who likes those types of things.”
Come experience the cathartic ride at The Hudson!
Mentions: All performances at 5:30pm PT. Duration 60min. Purchase through Hollywood Fringe HERE. Purchase through Hudson Theatres THERE. Location: Hudson Backstage Theatre | 6539 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038. Give Lema a FOLLOW. Feed the algo.