I’m Not a Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce is presented by Theatre 68 and performing at The Royal George Theatre. The show is directed by award winning actor and director, Joe Mantegna and is written by and stars Ronnie Marmo, a one man power house channeling the very essence of Lenny Bruce. Who is Lenny Bruce you may ask? He may just be one of the most important voices in comedy who was way before his time.
An influencer of such greats as Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Sarah Silverman and Bill Maher, Bruce exposed previously untouchable subjects in his stand up such as religion, racism, marijuana legalization and censorship just to name a few. A fighter for freedom of speech, he was arrested on numerous occasions for obscenity charges. Before seeing this performance, I was not aware how unfairly targeted Bruce was for bringing up taboo topics in his stand-up. Police would attend his shows just to write down everything controversial he was saying to help build a case against him. Bruce was not walking down the street spurting off all of these opinions. The people in his audience paid to be there... and they were welcome to leave at any time. And yet, his commentary was still considered repulsive by most, and many saw him as someone who needed to be eradicated immediately.
To say I adored his performance is the understatement of the year. I was enthralled from start to finish. Marmo transported me into the comedy club, the courtroom, even into the bathroom in which he died. I felt for him and I was moved. It provoked new thoughts within me. To really reflect on how "evolved" we feel we are since the 1960s and to realize that most of what Bruce discussed is still controversial today. Some of Marmo's most brilliant moments in his performance came during his interaction with the audience. He jokes with them, he asks for participation, he flirts with them. Kudos for Marmo and Mantegna for keeping his story alive and fresh for new generations to discover.
I was able to chat with Ronnie Marmo after the show and I asked him what originally drew him to Bruce. Turns out he started by performing in another person's show about him. "I did this other guy’s play. And it went really well. But once I was doing the play and I was researching, I realized there was so much of the story we were leaving out."
I was able to chat with Ronnie Marmo after the show and I asked him what originally drew him to Bruce. Turns out he started by performing in another person's show about him. "I did this other guy’s play. And it went really well. But once I was doing the play and I was researching, I realized there was so much of the story we were leaving out."
"So what drew me to him was first of all we had so much in common and also as an actor, it’s just one of those roles that fit perfectly, but also I just fell in love with him and what he stood for and what he was trying to do and I thought in this time right now we could use Lenny’s voice."
Certain segments of Bruce's actual stand-up were included within the script, and they were not all funny. Bruce was more interested in telling the truth than always getting a laugh, although many of his subjects were so absurd they became laughable.
One of the most powerful segments of the show was about taking the power out of words – the power to hurt. Bruce argues that if we use some of these taboo words more often, this power would be removed.
In the strongest scene in the show, Bruce argues in court that the judge cannot sentence him until he allows him to perform his bit. Fighting back tears, he argues that if you take the words out of context, there is no way he can understand what he was trying to say. It is terrifying the lengths that were gone to to silence this man, to break him, and to treat him as an example. It is a stark reminder that even though we may feel silenced when we are searching for the truth, we cannot give up the struggle. Marmo's performance is incredibly relevant today.
Certain segments of Bruce's actual stand-up were included within the script, and they were not all funny. Bruce was more interested in telling the truth than always getting a laugh, although many of his subjects were so absurd they became laughable.
One of the most powerful segments of the show was about taking the power out of words – the power to hurt. Bruce argues that if we use some of these taboo words more often, this power would be removed.
In the strongest scene in the show, Bruce argues in court that the judge cannot sentence him until he allows him to perform his bit. Fighting back tears, he argues that if you take the words out of context, there is no way he can understand what he was trying to say. It is terrifying the lengths that were gone to to silence this man, to break him, and to treat him as an example. It is a stark reminder that even though we may feel silenced when we are searching for the truth, we cannot give up the struggle. Marmo's performance is incredibly relevant today.
“If God made it all, it’s either all clean, or all dirty.”
A portion of production proceeds goes to The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization honoring the legacy of Lenny Bruce by providing drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation and recovery for those with an inability to pay.
“If God made it all, it’s either all clean, or all dirty.”
A portion of production proceeds goes to The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization honoring the legacy of Lenny Bruce by providing drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation and recovery for those with an inability to pay.
I'm Not a Comedian... I'm Lenny Bruce was recently extended and is playing through March 8, 2020. The Royal George Theatre is located at 1641 N. Halsted. Hang around after the performance to meet the man himself, snap a photo with him or ask him some burning questions.
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