Readings in la Llibreria de la Lluna

Rachel openly shares some of her intimate experiences in a moving and engaging way. It is much more than an interesting experience; it is also an important, unique and helpful voice that I highly recommend engaging with, listening to and seriously considering.

Your reading was just great. Candid, emotional, and circular: all roads pointing to where/who you are today. Thanks to attending, I now understand lots more not only about you, but even about myself as an ex-pat, sharing some of your raw emotions, and having made similar decisions which have landed me in a land far, far away -like you. If you ever want a personal cheerleader of yours to come along to your events, let me know and I will definitely be there on the sidelines! You are brilliant and beautiful, inside and out!

“I took a taxi (yes, a taxi) and got off in the city center. At a nearby bookstore, Rachel Arieff was reading some autobiographical stories she herself had written and will soon edit into a book. I went inside; the reading had already begun. I climbed some stairs that led to a loft, where a group of 12 people were sitting. I sat down and was fascinated by the stories, a compendium of truly raw experiences that contrasted completely with the image we can have of Rachel.
I suppose that this is one of the good things that can come out of all this crap. With just the silly trick of forcing ourselves to attend [Facebook] events, we end up discovering authentic gems. I never would have discovered that in this bookstore there was a loft where people did readings, nor that Rachel wrote these kinds of stories. Thank you, Internet.”

“Where Are You From” is very intense from the beginning. The atmosphere it creates is one of great intimacy between the audience and Rachel. The result is striking, provoking reflection about our own lives as well as that of the artist. At the same time, it’s a powerful lesson of tenacity and overcoming trauma, of self-awareness, of acceptance, of life and of Love. Super-recommendable. Thank you Rachel.

Work and family are two soul-crushing machines. Rachel moves between these and other steamrollers, showing us their inner workings, how they crushed her soul, and how she picked it up from the floor each time before reshaping it again. The story about Uncle Bobby is simply incredible.

Given the option of staying in on a Wednesday night with our own problems — a headache (me) or insomnia (a friend) — we decided to go and listen to Rachel’s real life stories of woe. Wonderful; brave and credible. Rachel is an ace performer, professional at all times, even when dealing with such personal material. She is engaging, witty and bright and we are dealing with some pretty harrowing realities. It is hard to describe the evening. Readings? Therapy? Hard core comedy?…. Yes, she got a few wry laughs! But it is definitely worth going to. An honest and credible performance; something rare to find in our superficial, shallow world. recommended.

Sharply honest, courageous, cathartic stories… what more do you need on a Wednesday evening? Rachel has a talent for telling things, big and small, in a way that doesn’t leave you indifferent. Highly recommend participating in this intimate journey.

I attended the reading/interpretation of “How It All Fell Apart” April 6th. It was an intimate, moving event. Rachel told stories based on her real life, some very intense. There was even a moment when she changed her mind about reading a story set at a family member’s funeral. All of these stories are intense and heartfelt: the addiction of a family member, the indescribable gaze of her mother, the ironies of lost time, cutthroat workplace rivalry, philosophy of life transmitted through a brief encounter during her time spent as a volunteer…  Autobiographical stories that definitely are worth sharing and hearing. The coziness of the performance space helps create an intimate, almost confessional ambience.

They say « Blessed are the broken, for they wish only to go towards the light. »… With this moving story — at times wrenching but with a necessary sprinkling humor — Rachel exposes herself and her light blinds us. In this tiny and intimate space, a ONE-OF-A-KIND artist offers us a UNIQUE moment, a trust. A PRIVILEGE to be her audience. THANK YOU SO MUCH, RACHEL A.

Most of us know Rachel as a show-woman, a star of the stage who captures her audience with her kooky and extraordinary performances. Well, that Rachel is the “anti-Rachel”. Her storytelling nights have nothing to do with this “Anti-world”, but rather with the deepest layers of her real life. Here you’ll see a completely different Rachel, a humble and human Rachel that decides to open her heart to the audience. Thank you Rachel for this marvelous gift!

It’s difficult to explain the whirlwind of contradictory emotions that this “show” (which I hesitate to call it) provokes. I went from smiles to a knot in my stomach in a matter of seconds. Tolstoy once said that “every family is unhappy in its own way”, and although the stories that Rachel tells are totally personal and non-transferable — at least in my case — they stirred up old memories and opened wounds from my own life. I can’t do anything else than applaud the honesty and courage that permeate these readings. I envy and admire this capacity to reveal oneself emotionally before a (slightly voyeuristic and gossipy) audience peering through a crack at one’s personal history. I left the show a bit affected, why should I lie 🙂 but since I’m half-catalan (and therefore somewhat masoquistic), I’ll surely return. More than anything because it’s always preferable to be broken rather than impenetrable: if it hurts, it’s a symptom that at least you’re alive. (Besides, invoking once again my catalan side, it’s cheaper than therapy).

Rachel demonstrates an incredible ability to expose her sentiments, telling these intimate stories that took me on emotional journey that could leave no one indifferent. I’ll do whatever I can to return before the end of the month, because this reading is a generous gift on her part  🙂

What you transmit to us is something intimate, profound and difficult. This evening did not leave me indifferent; I personally was touched and thus, if I can, I’ll return for the last session in Spanish. I definitely recommend this to all.

I left delighted, Rachel. Your emotions come strong. Toughness and tenderness. And a lot of sensitivity.

This new facet of Rachel Arieff has won me over. Accustomed to seeing her onstage in her cabaret/comedic mode, I didn’t expect a twist of such magnitude in her career. The new show of Rachel’s doesn’t just indicate an innovative leap in her performance style (where the format, the intimacy, the confessional aspect and the written word are the protagonists), but also an excellent opportunity to show both artist and spectator that there’s still a lot left to say in the world of artistic genres and the ability to manage them. If you’ve followed Rachel these past few years, this encounter is simply a ‘must’.

Rachel opens up her heart at an intimate gathering in a cozy space, enveloping the audience in her personal stories, crafted from her experiences wherein the spectator at turns identifies with certain passages and completely connects to the reflections and emotions she relates. Real-life stories that are intimate, moving, surprising and with the personal touch that only Rachel can give us!

I came, I listened, and I was surprised! This is an unexpected side of Rachel: recounting stories from real life (her life!) that she herself has written. Stories with a dark side, told in Rachel’s signature style, with that touch of cynical humor that attracts and fascinates. Very moving and intimate. I give her a big hand.