I’m Not A Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (41)
See it if You want to see the brilliant actor channel Lenny Bruce and be deeply moved from laughter to tears in a lovely setting at the Cutting Room.
Don't see it if You have no desire to know more about legendary ahead of his time Lenny Bruce.
See it if you are a fan of Lenny Bruce, or of stand up comedy with a critical edge, you'll enjoy this one-man interpretation of LB's life.
Don't see it if you don't enjoy edgy and at times raunchy cultural criticism
See it if The show takes a hard look at Lenny's Bruce's fight with obscenity laws & addition battles. Outstanding performance by Ronnie Marmo.
Don't see it if Offended by 'bad' language and frank sexual references.
See it if you appreciate history of comedy. It's a tragic story told beautifully.
Don't see it if it's not a comedy show. But at times very funny.
See it if You want an empirical demonstration of the importance of free speech, not just an academic exposition.
Don't see it if You believe that words have an intrinsic power to hurt, and not, as LB put it, that it's the suppression of the word that gives it its power Read more
See it if you are interested in finding out more about the life of Lenny Bruce, enjoy a well acted,intense biographical study, don't mind vulgarities
Don't see it if not interested in Lenny Bruce,are offended by strong language, once not permitted on stage Read more
See it if You're interested in first amendment rights and satire.
Don't see it if You're prudish and close minded about our hypocritical & pious culture
See it if you are a Lenny Bruce fan - this is as close to actually seeing him perform as you'll ever get.
Don't see it if you'd be unable to sit through reenactment of Lenny Bruce material that uses obscenities, the n-word & racial slurs to make a social point Read more
Critic Reviews (23)
“Directed by Joe Mantegna, Marmo does an excellent job of mimicking the star's twitchy physicality and the hipster attitude that smoothed over his Long Island accent as he recreates legendary performances...Presents a fine overview of the man's professional highs and lows and illuminates what made him important in the history of American culture..Marmo closes his play with one of the most heartbreaking visuals of this theatre season.”
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"Despite a structural conceit that establishes the action as an exercise in deterministic tragedy, the show lacks propulsive energy. It isn’t very funny, either, which may have something to do with Bruce’s material: It’s simultaneously ahead of its time and dated...Much of the standup in 'I’m Not a Comedian' is fairly familiar, and the show does not shed any new light on its subject’s all-too-familiar demons. But it does make you mull Bruce’s legacy. "
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“This perfectly inflected performance is expertly directed by Mantegna...When Marmo picks up a mike to re-create excerpts from Bruce's routines, the result compares favorably with existing footage of the comic in action...Marmo's Bruce is equally unsparing in confronting his own failures as a husband and father...This engaging and illuminating portrait allows subsequent generations to understand who Lenny Bruce was, and, more important, why he mattered.”
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"Heartfelt, provocative, yet disappointingly conventional tribute...Bruce was unquestionably a boundary-pusher, which is why it is somewhat disappointing that Marmo and director Joe Mantegna lean on many of the same tropes found in nearly every fringe festival solo show...It helps that Marmo is a talented mimic...Despite its flaws, 'I'm Not a Comedian...I'm Lenny Bruce' reminds us of one of America's great champions of free speech."
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“Directed with great skill by Joe Mantega, Marmo thoroughly commands the stage and audience from start to finish...Marmo brilliantly leads the audience through the many ups and downs of Bruce's hard life...Including Bruce's descent into hard drugs - a scene that was truly difficult to watch in its realistic depiction...The perfect star showcase for Marmo...His reincarnation of the comedic genius is not to be missed!”
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“Marmo's solo show isn't all that interested in humor...If you grew up steeped in Lenny Bruce...you won't learn anything new...It's a depressing tale, told here faithfully but with little flair...What's most surprising is the flatness of the comedy sequences...Mantegna has directed in a manner that is determined to drive home The Importance of Being Lenny, an approach that doesn't do this material any favors...The word for this one is unnecessary.”
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"Some of the most compelling moments in the show focus on Bruce's court appearances and his pleas on behalf of freedom of expression...Throughout his performance, Marmo presents us with a man who has a voracious appetite for an audience's love and laughter, always ready with a million-watt smile even when he grows increasingly wobbly on his feet...With this show, Ronnie Marmo is giving Bruce the kind of justice he also would have appreciated, another audience."
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"Bearing a close enough resemblance to Bruce, Marmo reprises excerpts from routines to prove the late comic’s—and Marmo’s—comic theses. He’s excellent at assuming Bruce’s casual approach, his easy gestures, his soft, seductive voice...Strong as the 'I’m Not a Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce' writing and performing are, there is one particularly pertinent biographical acknowledgment missing: what Bruce picked up from friend and fellow comedian Joe Ancis."
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