My Name Is Gideon: I’m Probably Going To Die, Eventually (2016) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (43)
See it if you'd enjoy a quirky multi-talented one man show. He goes from heart warming to hysterical to goofy and back again. Beautiful song & story.
Don't see it if you're going to be a drag darling. Gideon taps is joy and happiness reigns supreme. If you're not going to play along don't spoil the fun.
See it if you're open to something completely different. You don't just enter Gideon's livingroom...you enter his world. Some songs are great, not all
Don't see it if you've lost your sense of wonder. G's favorite song is by a five year old. By the end, you'll like it, too. G is funny, sweet and weird. Read more
See it if Absurd at times, hilarious at times, intimate at times; super creative! I kind of loved it and wasn't expecting to. A refreshing experience.
Don't see it if One man shows or tiny comedies bother you. This takes place in a sort of living room. You need an open mind and heart for this one.
See it if Light, humorous one person variety act with songs, stories, and jokes. Good connection with the audience.
Don't see it if You would like something deeper or more intense. My mind wavered at times.
See it if you enjoy physical humor, international folk music and audience participation. It has the most complex, best low tech set ever.
Don't see it if you value consistency. Without plot the show is a series of quasi-related songs, activities and stories. Some are amusing; some are just odd
See it if you enjoy Gideon using every vaudevillian trick 2 entertain, singing, playing crazy instruments, doing magic, even baking cookies 4 audience
Don't see it if for much of the show you think you've landed on the Gong Show; eventually however Gideon's disarming goofiness wears you down
See it if Did I say Quirky?? How about "must be seen to be believed" Off-beat troubadour/busker's quasi-existential life story on a surround-sound set
Don't see it if Either a love it or hate it experience. Could easily be cut a good 15 minutes but I'm on the loved it side; caught myself smiling alot
See it if You want to go on a weird & wonderful ride. You enjoy genre-bending shows: music, storytelling, performance art, games & a cookie.
Don't see it if You want a traditional theatre experience w/a structured script & a storyline. You dislike audience involvement. Read more
Critic Reviews (20)
"A mishmash of twangy songs and stories about his mother, his friends and his travels. Other odds and ends are tossed in: jokes, audience participation, a magic trick. A few run on a little long, but there’s charm in that shagginess, and in Mr. Irving’s folksy and welcoming manner. He’s the school nerd who you discover is pretty cool, once you tune in to his quirkiness...He’s so easygoing and free of cynicism that you may contemplate hosting him, too. I’ve considered inviting him to my place."
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"I still don't have a handle on the project, but it doesn't matter. Gideon's profound good nature immediately draws you in and holds your attention. He is an innocent, wise troubadour with a peaceful if wildly eccentric presence...To call 'My Name is Gideon' unconventional hardly captures the imaginative power of the work in (perpetual) progress...If this sounds crazy to you, you're not alone. But Gideon, who lives life on his own terms, makes you believe in him."
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"‘My Name is Gideon’ has a definite shaggy-dog charm…Given his ability to earn laughs from his deadpan delivery, Irving comes across like some kind of apex of hipster humor…He is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and sometimes plain mystifying, but he has the power to hold an audience in his hand…It is the damnedest thing I've seen all season, a nutball special that, against the odds, proves to be surprisingly amusing right up to its time-tripping finale."
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"A quirky and enjoyable performance-art extravaganza…It could benefit from editing that would bring more focus to its entertaining features. There’s no great sense of profundity when it’s over but there has been a deep, communal bond between the audience and the performer…’My Name Is Gideon: I’m Probably Going To Die, Eventually’ is a terrific showcase for Irving’s considerable and idiosyncratic gifts. Its unruliness reflects his appealing freewheeling sensibility."
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"A playful rumination on journeys and who we were a long time ago. Happily based in a space of magical realism, it will tickle you and leave you with surprising poignancy…The musical performances of the show are entrancingly engaging with beautiful, haunting images and raw exposed nerves...Gideon is part whirling dervish, part prop comic, and the effect is dazzling…With playfulness and sensitivity, 'My Name is Gideon' will take you on the journey of a lifetime."
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"You are offered warm and loving sustenance in many forms. The tunes are all by Irving. He accompanies himself on instruments that are sometimes recognizable and often are not. Irving’s voice is perhaps the most important calling card of this show, with its huge range, with which he accompanies himself on each instrument with wondrous nuance and ululating resonance...Come with an open heart. Heart, head, stomach, and sense of humor are filled and thrilled by this production."
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"A charming and entertaining evening...What Gideon delivers best is his music...His melodies are folksy and blue-grassy, with elements of African rhythms. And his voice is resonant, with a surprising range that takes him to the stratosphere when he hits his falsetto...The problem here is that I’m not sure Gideon’s show translates to a theater venue...Interestingly enough, the show needs to be a little more personal...And although I had a pleasant evening, I walked out feeling a little empty."
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"There’s no denying Irving has talent radiating from him. He’s so gifted that his eagerness to share those gifts keeps him from knowing when to stop: at the 60-minute mark would have been fine...He sings several songs he’s written...Throughout he indulges surprise activities that often rely on audience participation...But Gideon is a talented man, and I’m going to be tolerant of a show that began cheerfully and fresh but slowly transformed into the somewhat irritating."
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