Bedtime for O.J.

Livia Scott mines inexplicable adoration of O.J. Simpson for character fodder in solo show.

Livia Scott is bringing back her one-woman show “Goodnight O.J.,” which she has been performing awhile, for another run.

The show (seen November 1), a performance based on letters to O.J. Simpson while he awaited trial for the murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, finds Scott portraying the personalities she imagines for the letter writers (Simpson himself published all the letters around the time of his trial in a book). The show isn’t purely comedy although it does send up the naïveté of the letter writers.

Scott adds a bit of drama in the tone of some of the portrayals, and the show even borders on performance art at times. Her portrayals are interspersed with some video footage of O.J., including some of his 1970s commercials.

In Scott’s portrayals that make up “Goodnight O.J.,” she mines similar tones as she’s used for characters (or impersonations) she’s done before, such as Tammy Faye, and her own creation, Cynthia Falconcrest, for some of the mannerisms, such as a few different squeaky-voiced little kids -- about whom you wonder why their parents even let them write supportive letters to O.J.

The dramatic touches come as Scott plays a rationalizing abused wife who also inexplicably wrote a supportive letter to O.J., as well as a strong-chinned tough guy who writes things like how lucky O.J. is to have a supportive friend like A.C. Cowlings, and other reverential thoughts.

The end effect of Scott’s juxtaposing amusing characters and more serious dramatic portrayals is that “Goodnight O.J.” as a whole piece becomes a bit puzzling. As a gifted performer, Scott draws you in with the portrayals, but in the end, you’re uncertain where she means to take you.

Livia Scott’s “Goodnight O.J.” returns to the UCB Theatre on November 15 and 29.