By Nicholas Whittaker

‘Still Standing: A Musical Survival Guide for Life’s Catastrophes,’ written and directed by Anita Hollander. Scenic Design: Afsoon Pajoufar. Stage Manager: Renee E. Yancey. Master Electrician: Katie Hoolsema. Props Manager: Zack Stern. Technical Director: Nathan Lee. Sound Engineer: Lee Schuna. Presented by New Rep Theater in residence at the Mosesian Center of the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown.

            “Cripples ain’t supposed to be happy,” Anita Hollander sneers halfway through New Rep’s Still Standing. The sentiment, out of context, may sound surprising from Hollander’s lips. Hollander is the sole writer and performer of Still Standing, an intensely personal musical detailing Hollander’s own experience as a cancer survivor who lost her leg due to complications with her illness. The callous sentiment expressed above is thus not Hollander’s own, but one she admits she frequently comes across. Still Standing is Hollander’s attempt to prove it wrong. Disability, for Hollander, is neither a burden to bear nor an obstacle to overcome, but a complex, emotional, and ultimately integral part of her life and identity. In this, the show is a success. Hollander is able to reclaim the personhood of which disabled performers and characters are often deprived, asserting herself as the center and driving force of her narrative. This is, Hollander’s show argues, is what it truly means to survive.

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