I’m Not a Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce

Written by and Starring Ronnie Marmo, Directed by Joe Mantegna

Ronnie Marmo is the perfect vessel for the betrayal of Lenny Bruce (Leonard Alfred Schneider) and this show feels like you are witnessing Lenny himself, a true privilege!

Marmo, who has starred in more than 60 feature films and television shows, is simply brilliant as Lenny Bruce, the Godfather of Comedy, who clearly influenced George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Sarah Silverman and so many other stand-up comedians. But what the show beautifully portrays is that Lenny died for the very freedom of speech. The lighting and sound (Matt Richter) beautifully dictate the scenes, flip flopping to both Lenny’s club performances and his real-life parallel existence.

Although many only know Lenny as a main and recurring character on Amazon Prime’s show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this production is about  the real-life famous comedian. Maisel’s Lenny Bruce is kind of a dreamy fairy godmother tortured stand-up comedian.

Lenny Bruce, a legendary stand-up comic, and satirist in the 1950’s and 1960’s, known to be obscene, provocative and controversial, was also a heroin user the last decade of his life, leading to his death in 1966.  His tragic decline is portrayed as his popularity and legal troubles grew based on obscenity statutes. This tested the legal system’s capacity to deal with social change and although Lenny was considered a shocking comedian at that time, he is currently considered a visionary and revolutionist for freedom of speech. In the 1960s, Bruce exposed many untouchable topics, and these are the exact subjects in the news today:  the criminal justice system, religion, racism, immigration, xenophobia, gender inequality, sexual identity, police brutality, corrupt capitalism, the opiate epidemic, marijuana legalization, censorship, etc. All these years later, Lenny is still so relevant, and he is revered for pushing the envelope to expose hypocrisy, words, and power.

Perhaps best known for its historical connection to the infamous gangster John Dillinger, the Biograph Theater is also one of Chicago’s oldest remaining neighborhood movie houses. Originally a movie theater but now presenting live productions, this is the perfect intimate venue for this show.  

The audience is transported through time to witness Lenny’s life, his Jewish side comment vernacular, his relationship with his mother, Sally Marr, his love-at-first-sight stripper wife, Honey Harlow, his inhibitions and his freedoms in his tumultuous marriage, Honey and Lenny’s daughter Kathleen (“Kitty”) Bruce, and his obscenity arrests.  Wonderfully funny scenes showcasing his obscenity charges, the words “———-” (hint: rooster lollipop) and the infamous “to is a preposition, come is a verb” scenes.  The show also showcases the law enforcement agencies monitoring his appearances, portrayal of the arresting officers, judges, and trials. Marmo transforms into these roles effortlessly and is simply amazing in this show.

An inspirational story! 

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Judy Nathan

Runs Thu, Mar 14 – Fri, Apr 12 at The Biograph Theatre at 2433 N. Lincoln, Chicago.

Tickets are available at https://www.lennybruceonstage.com/tickets.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.