Tragic life and wide-ranging influence of Lenny Bruce spotlighted in one-man show
Ronnie Marmo plays legendary comedian and satirist Lenny Bruce in "I'm Not a Comedian...I'm Lenny Bruce."
Ronnie Marmo in "I'm Not a Comedian...I'm Lenny Bruce."
"I'm Not a Comedian...I'm Lenny Bruce" chronicles the tragic comedian's brief life.
Who was Lenny Bruce?
According to Bob Dylan, in his 1981 ode to the comedian, Bruce 无毛视频渨as an outlaw, that无毛视频檚 for sure,无毛视频� and 无毛视频渉ad the insight to rip off the lid before its time.无毛视频�
In his time, Bruce was a no-holds-barred comedian and satirist, taking aim at sex, politics, religion and the buttoned-up mores of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Arrested several times on obscenity charges and engulfed by legal difficulties, Bruce was found dead in the bathroom of his Hollywood Hills home in August 1966 at the age of 40. The death of the man who was born Leonard Alfred Schneider on Long Island did not gain front-page headlines 无毛视频� The New York Times put the story on page 32, using an Associated Press dispatch and describing him as an 无毛视频渦ninhibited comic无毛视频� who blended 无毛视频渟atire with scatology.无毛视频�
The curtain may have come down prematurely on Bruce无毛视频檚 life and career, but his influence has continued to reverberate through our culture to this day. Viewed in the years after his death as a pioneer of the counterculture and a tragic martyr for freedom of speech, albums of his stand-up routines continued to be released, he was the subject of the 1974 Oscar-nominated biopic 无毛视频淟enny,无毛视频� and his autobiography, 无毛视频淗ow to Talk Dirty and Influence People无毛视频� continued to sell and remains in print. Perhaps most importantly, Bruce无毛视频檚 imprint was stamped on generations of comedians who followed, from Richard Pryor and George Carlin to Dave Chappelle.
Having been gone for 56 years, the number of people alive today who saw Bruce in person is small and growing smaller by the year. But the one-man show, 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 Not a Comedian无毛视频无毛视频檓 Lenny Bruce无毛视频� tells his story and summons up his spirit, with actor Ronnie Marmo taking up the role of the comedian. It will be at the Byham Theater in Pittsburgh Friday and Saturday. Showtimes are 8 p.m. both days.
Marmo, whose resume includes work on the soap opera 无毛视频淕eneral Hospital无毛视频� and the series 无毛视频淐riminal Minds,无毛视频� explained from Great Barrington, Mass., last week that 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 not an impressionist,无毛视频� but that he watched and listened to all the existing recordings and footage of Bruce before taking on the part. This month, Marmo played Bruce for the 400th time. Despite having done the show so many times since its debut five years ago, Marmo said there无毛视频檚 no problem keeping it fresh.
无毛视频淚t just feels like I无毛视频檓 in a car doing 90 mph, and I无毛视频檓 really high up and bugs are hitting my windshield and I无毛视频檓 hanging on by a thread,无毛视频� Marmo said. 无毛视频淚t really keeps itself fresh. It无毛视频檚 really humbling and challenging to remake these words and bring the most intense performance I can bring. I never quite feel like I无毛视频檝e got my hands around it, which is a good thing.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 Not a Comedian无毛视频无毛视频檓 Lenny Bruce无毛视频� is directed by Joe Mantegna, the stage and screen actor who has been in 无毛视频淭he Godfather, Part III,无毛视频� and has done the voice of mobster Fat Tony on 无毛视频淭he Simpsons.无毛视频� Marmo wrote it and it has the blessing of Bruce无毛视频檚 daughter, Kitty Bruce.
无毛视频淚 was concerned about that,无毛视频� Marmo said. 无毛视频淟ots of people have knocked off things about her dad in her lifetime, and I made sure to include her every step of the way. She loves the show and she and I are very close.无毛视频�
The Amazon Prime television series 无毛视频淭he Marvelous Mrs. Maisel无毛视频� has had Bruce as a recurring character, and that has lured many people to his show, Marmo explained. But, he pointed out, it无毛视频檚 not necessary to be steeped in Bruce lore before you get to the theater.
无毛视频淚f you come to the show and you don无毛视频檛 know anything, the biggest compliment you can give me is you go home and Google all the players,无毛视频� Marmo said. 无毛视频淧eople say there无毛视频檚 a chance if you find Lenny through my show and do your homework after, you无毛视频檒l get it. (Audiences) don无毛视频檛 need to know anything is the short answer. They could come and have the experience and go down the rabbit hole after.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 Not a Comedian无毛视频无毛视频檓 Lenny Bruce无毛视频� contains mature content and explicit language. For tickets or additional information, go online to trustarts.org.