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Humor Abuse Reviews
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Magic Tricks That I Always Did With My Father Review by: Beth M, Apr 12, 2009 |
To me, Humor Abuse, produced by The Manhattan Theater Club, was one of the most wonderful, deeply moving, highly entertaining, heartwarming, (and many other superlatives,) productions that I have seen this season. It is a true collector’s item. I only regret that I saw it a week before it closes, as I could have shared my feelings about this show with people who might really have the chance to catch it before it is gone.
It ... read more is a one man play, a tightly woven and graceful integration of a former clown Lorenzo Pisoni’s autobiography, focusing especially on his early years working with his father, Larry, who founded the Pickle Family Circus in San Francisco, with enormously fun and magical circus acts, based on those he learned from his father. The play was actually written by Lorenzo Pisoni, and is a star vehicle, though on an intimate scale. And even though his years as a clown were in the past, I guess one could say, “once a clown, always a clown,” as Mr. Pisoni recreates so ably not only these circus acts, but also his relationship with his father, which moved from complete awe and admiration and a complete willingness to dress exactly as his father dressed, eventually sharing a partnership with him, to his eventual recognizing his father as a human being, often angry, sad and silent.
There is rich and seriously presented autobiography as Lorenzo shares about the troubles in his parents’ marriage, how he was ultimately abandoned by his father, though they did have some reunions, to the tragic accident that befell his father which virtually ended his career.
Mr. Pisoni is a fine and winning actor and does an admirable job in his bringing to life the work of his father. I found this to be a very special show. Stories about families (and in many ways we have here another “dysfunctional “one), especially when they have elements of the complex and the stormy, always touch my heart deeply. This is the story of a father would wanted his son to be exactly like him---and, hoping this is not a “spoiler,” since this is clearly stated very near to the show’s beginning, Mr. Pisoni refers to a highly usual kind of an “abusive” father—in this case this case the abuse was “humor abuse!”
My recall is that Humor Abuse was a play that was substituted for a play that I believe I felt more interested in seeing, because of scheduling conflicts and the like. But now that I have seen it, I feel lucky to have experienced such an unusual and affecting show. A very special touch were the photographs projected onto a curtain of the Pisoni family, especially images of father and son working together, which add a poignant kind of illumination to this event.
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Make an effort to see
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Charming! Review by: Lauren, Mar 10, 2009 |
| This show is absolutely charming, I recommend it for anyone. Lorenzo Pisoni is tremendously talented and entertaining. He does a wonderful job and deserves every bit of recognition he gets. Parts of this show were nostalgic and heartwarming and other parts were an absolute riot they were so funny. GO SEE THIS SHOW! |
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must see!
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Good news Review by: , Feb 27, 2009 |
my husbaand and 13 yr old son eenjoyed it
They are hard to polease
Finally a show they loved!
I am going next week |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Family
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ABSOLUTELY WONDERUFL!!! Review by: JG, Feb 23, 2009 |
Absolutely Wonderful. Possibly the best show we have seen in years. It was hard to believe that such a talented performer was also the Creator of this amusing and touching masterpiece.
Take your children, take your parents, take everyone you know... but be sure not to miss this GRAND EVENT. Thank you Lorenzo Pisoni. |
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must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, The Entire Family, Business Assoc.
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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