[rating=4] Many of you will not know the name, Lenny Bruce. This may be the time to use your “Google” so that you can truly learn about this man prior to going to The Royal George. When it came to social commentary, he was the master of his times. Yes it was the 1950’s and 1960’s. A great time in our history, but not for him. In this 90 minute, solo performance written and starring Ronnie Marmo, who truly brings Lenny back to life and directed with great care by Chicagoan Joe Mantegna. I must say the opening night audience was glued to every moment in the 90 minute ( no intermission) biography of THE MAN!
The life and times of his life, in many ways set the tone for the humor that today’s world sees. But, back then, he was considered obscene, provocative, controversial and for many, criminal. What did he do?
He spoke the truth! Lenny Bruce gave us realism and facts, but the world was not ready. He believed with all his heart that what we say ( the words) are not the problem, but rather the interpretation that is being heard. We have all heard the saying that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and I guess there is another, “filth is in the ear of the listener”. Makes sense.
Lenny Bruce was the first to bring real topics to the table. One can relate to what he spoke about and others have followed his footsteps. In this entertainment piece, not only do we learn a great deal about the man and his loves, we learn a great deal about our country and the “system” that would not allow him to do what people wanted to hear. Yes, the police watched him closely and pulled the reigns back on him on a regular basis. Marmo truly captures the persona of this legend among comedians and those who love taking on social injustices.
The show begins with his death ( a drug overdose) and ends with his death ( the same drug overdose) and the happiness that his death caused those who were anti Lenny Bruce. If you listen very carefully to the story, and the anecdotes that 
we hear, you will surmise that they were more afraid of him because what he spoke was something the world was unused to, The TRUTH!
What he stood for and fought for, is still a problem today. Items that were his topics: Sexual identity, corruption, the opiate epidemic, government aid, racial tensions, censorship and even more. Here we are some fifty plus years later and we have yet to solve any of these problems. In fact, many are still taboo! All he wanted was the truth. All he got was hounded. His death may not have been caused by the drugs , at least not alone, but in fact, just because he gave up!
This is an amazing performance with a great set (Danny Cistone), great lighting (Matt Richter), wonderful sound (Hope Bello LaRoux) and fitting costumes ( Lauren Winnenberg). The music supervision by Wendy Marmo and the composer of the background music (Michael NOMAD Ripoll) made for a smooth performance. Mantegna truly understood the man so it was easy to take the script ( by the way approved by his daughter, Kitty Bruce) to great heights in story telling. The only drawback, to be honest, is the venue itself. The Royal George is a wonderful building, but the CABARET stage does not have great sight lines. Many audience members found themselves bobbing back and forth and peeling between those in seats in front of them to see the action. I would love to see this same show done on a stage like the smaller one at let’s say one of the buildings on Belmont or the upstairs at Victory Gardens or The Greenhouse with its new Cabaret. Perhaps, in the future, or if they decide to extend this one, it could be considered. There is no question it needs an intimate space to retain its identity and to create what Marmo and Mantegna want us to see. If you remember this man, you must see!If you want to learn more about the man and his message, call now!….,
“I’m Not A Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce” will continue at The Royall George Theatre/Cabaret on an open run with performances as follows:
| Thursdays: | 7:30pm |
| Fridays: | 8:00pm |
| Saturdays: | 3:00pm & 8:00pm |
| Sundays: | 2:00pm |
Price: $69-$79
Show Type: Comedy
Box Office: 312-988-9000
The Royal George is located at 1641 N. Halsted Street ( just north of North Avenue) with valet parking and several restaurants in the area. King Crab is back down the street.
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “I’m Not A Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce”.
The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation. founded by his daughter in 2008 combats alcohol/drug addiction and educates youngsters as well. Lenny Bruce, even now is saving lives . Learn more at http://www.lennybruce.org
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