So I heard part of a segment on the Leonard Lopate Show last week, an NPR show I’ve been listening to for decades on which Leonard Lopate interviews all kinds of smart people. This segment was different from any other because Lopate was laughing so hard that he could hardly choke out the questions for his guest, Neal Brennan. I managed to lock it in that Neal Brennan was the co-creator of Chappelle's Show, a hilarious show. And I promptly forgot about it.
And then on my Sunday afternoon stomp around Lower Manhattan when I had my big epiphany, what appeared before my eyes but the theatre where Neal Brennan’s one man show 3 MICS is playing until April 16. (The Lynn Redgrave Theatre at 45 Bleecker Street near Lafayette Street in Noho with tickets for as little as $21).
Taking this as some kind of sign, I pried myself away from the rewrite and went to a sold out performance last night. I loved it.
Brennan is magnificently funny, real and sometimes very vulnerable as he moves among three different microphones. At one mic he does one-liners, at the middle one ‘emotional stuff’ and at the third one, stand-up comedy. He covers a lot of ground: family, depression, his experience with anti-depressants, student loans, his girlfriend experiences, his violent alcoholic father, 12 step programs, self-esteem, racism, the problem with having famous friends and a whole lot more.
As an artist, I found it incredibly inspiring, encouraging and moving and wish that every artist in New York City and beyond could get to see this before it closes.
No pictures were allowed during the performance so I snapped this one just before the show. It’s possible that Brennan will take 3 MICS on the road so maybe people in other parts of the country/world will get a chance to see it. I hope so.
