It doesn't happen often that I stumble on something as entertaining and inspiring as Ned Van Zandt's staged reading of his new play "Del Valle" at the Atlantic Theatre Company. I won't even try to summarize what this, his first play, is about but will say that It draws at least in part on material from Van Zandt's life. It's beautifully shaped, it's moving and it's hilarious. Van Zandt's performance of every character in the script (and there are many) is breathtaking.
I generally avoid 'the theatre' as my literal mind seems to only see the sets wobbling when the doors slam. But I thoroughly enjoy listening to a good story. And what Ned Van Zandt does in "Del Valle" is tell a wickedly good story while acting out all the parts. What's so inspiring about it to me as an artist is that it's so simple: the production consisted of one man, one plastic chair and his willingness to put himself on the line.