Poetic, reflective, urgent, inspiring… I OF THE STORM is a one-man show in the truest sense of the word.
Whenever a single person stands alone on a stage – from stand-up comedian to dramatic actor – the inescapable aura of mortality is thrust upon the audience – yours, mine, his, hers, the one standing before us. This is Waiting for Godot without the waiting, and without, of course, Godot. It’s as if the noose has been lifted from Lucky, the tethered creature in that Beckett play, and his existential rant transformed into an articulate, rhythmic, acrobatic 75-minute protest against every kind of distraction which makes up the fabric of our lives, expressed in word, song and dance, with props like imaginary cell phones and a flower.
Marginalized, disenfranchised, forced by circumstance into a twilight state of enlightenment, actor Richard Hoehler puts in a passionate, stellar performance of RJ Bartholomew’s tour-de-force script, guided by Janice Goldberg’s direction.
The nameless performer acts out for us in contemporary trappings a wisdom narrative as old as the Epic of Gilgamesh. Live each day as if it is your last because it is all you have — what he calls his “pagan prayer” of denial and appreciation. See this.
I OF THE STORM – Written by: RJ Bartholomew; Perfomed by: Richard Hoehler; Directed by: Janice Goldberg
Mark Symczak (Sets), Michael Abrams (Lights), Sean W. Sellers (Costumes), Craig Lenti (Sound), Joan Racho-Jensen (Technical Director).
The Playroom Theatre 151 West 46th Street. Mon-Weds, 7PM; Saturdays, 2PM, runs through April 29. iofthestormoffbroadway.com
