There isnât much middle ground with solo performersâtheyâre either eye-gougingly terrible or eye-poppingly fantastic. Troy Miszklevitz is one of the latter. Heâs got a cascade of energy, the physical specificity and comic timing to pull off nine sharply distinctive characters, and (this is rarest of all) a plot that keeps us interested. The Show isnât about his childhood or his existential crises or his anythingâitâs about other people, weird people, people worth our attention. It begins with the narrator, Nature Man, who has come to New York City to shut off all the electricity because he, in Miszklevitzâs words, âwants to rid the world of technology.â All technology? Arrowheads and spinning wheels and everything? âNo,â laughed director Rhonda J. Soikowski. âElectronic things. With engines. And gears. And wires.â
The story is a like series of Russian dolls: Leroy, a street-level schemer, is trying to win the heart of cabaret singer Juliana. She says if he comes to her gigâin a celebrity-only clubâshe might consider a date with him. On the other side of the city, a hugely famous TV-show host named Chip Challenger announces that, for bizarre contractual reasons, he has to find a replacement in the next two hours. Leroy, and his sidekick Frank, see the televised announcement in a storefront window and cook up a plan to impress Challenger (involving a hair drier and a Coupe de Ville) so heâll give Leroy the job so Leroy can become an instant celebrity and get into the club and to ask for a date with Juliana. Meanwhile Izzy wants to be a rock star, Bruno wants to be the next Versace, Challenger wants some peace and quiet, Juliana just wants a man whoâll treat her right, Nature Man wants to kill wires and gears and engines, and Frank just wants to go fishingâfor a prize fish named Bessie whoâs been sighted in the area. Itâs crazyâand full of fantastic potential.
Directed by Soikowski, with music composed by locust dance companyâs Zeke Keeble, The Show was performed in excerpt form by Miszklevitz at Northwest New Works at On the Boards. It was killer. The hour-long version should totally kick ass.