The characters inhabit “a new world order of metaphysical self-torture” where nothing is left except “the absurdity of life in-and-of-itself. “My Onliness” depicts a dystopian society, and employs the non-linear language of absurdist theater to drive it home. At the same time, he had been a soldier in the Russian Imperial Army during the Russian Revolution, and developed the firm belief that Western Civilization was doomed, according to one scholar he was fearful of “the imposition of totalitarian dictatorships” – so much so, apparently, that he committed suicide when Russia invaded Poland, 16 days after Germany did. Witkiewicz (1885-1939) - commonly known as Witkacy – was a Polish playwright, painter and philosopher whose work is viewed as a precursor to the Theater of the Absurd. There is a clue in the program: Robert Lyons is credited with “text and lyrics” but with the intriguing addition “from Witkacy.” Lyons, the artistic director of New Ohio Theater, where “My Onliness’ is running through September 24, labels the play “an homage to Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz.” The seriousness of purpose is harder to decipher through all this noise. The trailer (from an earlier production) suggests both the inventiveness and the sensory assault. #Daniel Irizarry, as both the director and the indefatigable title character, comes up with all sorts of ways to involve audience members, from handing out a series of little trinkets - fake coins, little electric candles, paper cups which he then goes around the theater filling from a bottle of liquor – to jumping on laps, stomping on tubs of water to spritz us, enlisting individual theatergoers to mop the wet stage or drag one of the cast members by the scruff of his neck and throw him on the floor. #The over-the-top costumes by James Terrell and Brittani Beresford tell their own story they include a king’s crown that’s a cardboard steeple befitting a court jester # Several of the cast members are also musicians (again integrated into the action) the score ranges from oom-pah-pah instrumental arrangements of jazz standards to country songs to opera, much of it original music composed by Kamala Sankaram, with lyrics by Robert Lyons. #Two Deaf actors, Dickie Hearts and Malik Paris, are fully incorporated into the seven-member cast, making the production bilingual, in English and American Sign Language. So if you like Kaye, Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, Glynnis Johns, munchkins, or just plain clean simple nonsense, along with singing, dancing, secret identities, medieval/renaissance costume films, or humorous fencing.this is the movie for you.Daniel Irizarry as the title character Dickie Hearts as a Medium and Cynthia LaCruz as Morbidita And oldtimers and movie buffs will recognize many MGM musical supporting actors and actresses who do their best to maintain a straight face thruout Kaye's many antics.how I so wish that they were making "outtakes" in those days. (Kaye and Rathbone provide one of the more humorous rapier battles on screen.) Then there are all the wondrous "little people" that seem to have escape d from Munchkinland. Then there's Angela Lansbury and Glynnis Johns during their starlet phase, and of course, Basil Rathbone as one of the villains. But its all there: the wonderful singing, dancing, humor, bright Hollywood costumes (medieval England in this case), spoofy special effects that one looks for in a Danny Kaye film.not to mention, romance, excitement, double dealing.and the famous "the vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison routine.". (The trick is to figure out which one you are looking at to buy). Yes, it's back in print, in both cheap not really digitally remastered format, and wonderful clear pristine remastered format.
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