“I’m Not A Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce” revisited

***** They say “the third times the charm”, and while I wasn’t sure that the latest production of Ronnie Marmo being able to pull off his one-man show, “I’m Not A Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce” in a larger venue in the past incarnations, he pulled it off. Previously, we had been witness to this very intimate show in very intimate spaces. First, The Royal GeorgeTheatre  on Halsted’s back Studio, then to the second stage at The Mercury Theatre called Venus with about 60 seats, and now, The Center Stage at The North Shore Center for Performing Arts in Skokie.

This is a far larger space with a stage that is three or four times wider. There were two performances, one at 2 p.m. ( the one I attended) and another at 8 p.m.  I am not sure how huge the later show will be, but there were quite a few in the house for the matinee. I do have to say that I was among the younger audience members and I am an octogenarian.

The show worked in spite f the size of the stage and the one microphone cord that was very stubborn about following Marmo around. This is not the best venue for playing to and with the audience members. I think the smaller venue might have been more effective, but with another show on their stage, there would be no place for Mr. Marmo’s toilet.

The show begins on a toilet and ends there as well. It is the story of one Lenny Bruce who was probably the man responsible for some of the greatest people of comedy. Bruce claimed not to be anything more than a satirist and a user of words, trying to understand why he was not allowed to say them despite their being used by others every day. Think of George Carli, Richard Pryor, Sarah Silverman, Phyllis Diller, Whoopie Goldberg ,and a host of others. He blazed the trail and made it possible for them to say what they were able to say.

His topics were things like police brutality, racism, opiates ( he himself was addicted), immigration and of course censorship. This all took place over 60 years ago and here we are still looking at these problems. Perhaps if the world had listened to Lenny Bruce, things would be better today.

Directed by Joe Mantegna and restaged for the larger stage and venue, this is a marvelous 90 minutes of performance art. Marmo has been traveling with this biography for some time now and the question came up when I told people I was seeing it a 3rd time- how can he keep doing this show? Well, the answer is clear. He loves the material and truly feels that his message and that of Lenny Bruce is worth telling and retelling. When he leaves Skokie, he will go elsewhere, and I would not be surprised to see him back here again, at another venue, but with the same verve and energy.

more info, visit https://lennybruce.org or www.LennyBruceOnStage.com