Ghetto Klown
John Leguizamo’s Autobiographical Journey to Find Meaning
John Leguizamo shares his journey of battling forces that didn’t always work in his favor, and which he doesn’t always understand — a.k.a. life — in an autobiographical one-man show playing Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre.
Ghetto Klown
Lyceum Theatre
The TV and film actor returns to the stage (previous works include Freak, Sexaholic … a Love Story, Spic-o-rama and Mambo Mouth) for a “soul exchange” in which he shares, among other things, stories about growing up with an abusive father, his failed first marriage, his almost-failed second marriage, and how he got along as a Latino actor in show business, eventually starring with some of Hollywood’s biggest names in films like “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everythng Julie Newmar,” the Leonardo DiCaprio version of “Romeo & Juliet” and “Carlito’s Way.”
The story is recreated for clarity, he tells us, but there is a lot in the two-and-a-half-hour performance, including vulnerability and willingness to share that makes the story interesting and personal. Humor, video projections, music and dance moves enhance the production, directed by Fisher Stevens.
Most of all, there is a feeling of truth in the actor’s discoveries that fame and fortune aren’t all he thought they would be. Friends come and go, he has to come to terms with his father and he finds therapy and what he comes to define as “religion” in writing and performing his plays.
Ghetto Klown runs through July 10 at the Lyceum, 149 West 45th St., NYC. For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250.
This Show Contains:
- Show posts a Mature advisory
- Strong Language
- God’s name taken in vain
- Sexual dialogue
- Drug use depicted
Note: Some of the jokes are in Spanish.
Lauren Yarger is Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. © 2011, all rights reserved. She writes, directs and produces for theater. Her tour of a one-woman musical about the life of Mary Magdalene ended Off-Broadway and her Christian musical adaptation of a Christmas Carol, won a 2000 VT Bessie Award. She is a member of The Outer Critics Circle, The Drama Desk, the American Theater Critics Association, The National Book Critics Circle, the Society of Professional Journalists and Christians in Theatre Arts. Her NY theater reviews appear at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com . Yarger writes a blog of news, book reviews and inspiration for Christian artists at http://christianperformers.blogspot.com.
