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Read MoreSTUNNING CLARITY FRAMES MARMO’S “LENNY BRUCE”
Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton
We have all witnessed moments of utter exhaustion and defeat for those among us who own a strength of character and a spirit to move forward on our behalf. Sometimes doing the right thing in life requires an energy that we may not know we can share. Such is the case in the tragic life of comedian Lenny Bruce, whose story is currently being told by actor/writer Ronnie Marmo in "I’m Not A Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce” at the Venus Cabaret Theater. And it’s directed by a familiar name to Chicago – Joe Mantegna.
Right from the top, it is apparent that Mr. Marmo’s commitment is full-bore. The first sight of the character is the night he dies… sitting in his bathroom, nude and dead. August 3, 1966. It takes a long time to justify doing so from a theatrical viewpoint, but it does happen, despite the fact that, at first, it seems quite gratuitous. Put that away for now. We hear lots of Bruce in comic monologues, and the play quite confidently shares much of the debate about words that are acceptable to use—or not. Retain that in your memory for the moment as well.
The first half of the play—roughly 90 minutes with no intermission—deals with Bruce’s efforts to stretch comedic boundaries with sensational material that makes perfect sense, given the kind of path he walks. Mr. Marmo has the Bruce patter and delivery down absolutely spot-on, a reminder of all those Catskills comedians that the Boomer generation learned timing and skill from. Every dirty word, every turned-illicit phrase becomes a weapon to use against authority and, more to the point, on behalf of free speech in America. I offer this advisedly—it’s well done. And absolutely exhausting at certain points. As was Lenny Bruce, let’s face it.
And then a remarkable turn in the storytelling occurs. Mr. Marmo chooses quite eloquently to offer at a halfway point in the play what we really want to know: how Lenny Bruce does what he does, why he does it, and how it affects every corner of his life. Bruce meets a stripper one night. Begins some quiet conversation and flirtation. And ends the evening in orgasmic pleasure…a logical extension of the man’s own spirit. But then Bruce discovers something. He falls in love for really the first time in his life outside his work. The shift in theatrical tone and in Mr. Marmo’s presence is dramatic. And softer, more personal, more accessible. It’s a surprising quality to see and much more reflective for what we want to know, I think, about Bruce, his family and the effects of it all on his wife and daughter. Such small, tender vignettes pepper the plotline.
The battles in Bruce’s life, of course, are legendary and loud. He stands up to authority, he makes his presence known promptly in every situation, and he pays dearly for such aggression. The truly climactic moment comes in a confrontation with a judge, one that Mr. Marmo handles with stunning clarity and technique. He tells the judge in no uncertain terms “Please…you’ve taken everything from me. Let me do my act for you, let me show you, your Honor, what this is all about.” When refused, Bruce says “Please, sir. Please don’t take away my words…” This is Mr. Marmo’s high point. Vulnerable. Broken. Exhausted.
The play ends as it begins, with Bruce expired in his bathroom from an overdose, and recorded comments from police on the scene. Whether one accepts it as good dramaturgy is a matter of preference and taste. This observer prefers to look at the story as a whole in how it’s told. It’s quite a tale, and it’s not for everyone. But in a unique turn, Ronnie Marmo makes it his own and deserves much credit.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL www.solochicagotheatre.com
PHOTO|Doren Sorell
I’M NOT A COMEDIAN…I’M LENNY BRUCE
Venus Cabaret Theater
3745 N Southport Ave
through December 4
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(773) 360-7365
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