Eric Bogosian: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Description

Eric Bogosian shines in his freshly-brewed Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. A profoundly insightful and wickedly provocative performer, Obie Award winner Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio) has never shied away from the disturbing truths in life. Frequently compared to comedic social commentators Lenny Bruce and Spalding Gray, Bogosian keeps his finger on the pulse of our collective fears while satirizing contemporary American values. Based upon his critically acclaimed stage show, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee is Bogosian at his funniest, smartest, and angriest. Taking us for a ferocious ride through a cavalcade of colorful characters in his mind, Bogosian skewers pop culture, conformity, religious hypocrisy and human nature itself with a razor-sharp wit. Whether he's playing Satan as a modern-day salesman, a Hollywood producer capitalizing on an airplane disaster, a spiritual guru with questionable motives, or mocking himself as an obsequious actor auditioning for a part, Bogosian tackles today's relevant, post-9/11 themes with uncompromising honesty.

Customer Reviews:

Master of Solos.......2004-10-21

I have been fortunate enough to see Bogosian perform live on several occasions. Stage performances don't always translate well to the film/video medium, but this recording is pretty true to the experience, which is, of course, fantastic.

Bogosian's best show yet.......2004-10-04

I have always strongly identified with Eric Bogosian's work. No other writer has expressed my own thoughts and feelings so completely and with such commanding prose. I first discovered this kindred spirit upon viewing Oliver Stone's adaptation of Bogosian's play, Talk Radio, in which he played the protagonist, Barry Champlain. I was absolutley floored by the script and I soon owned a copy of the original stage play. The book that I purchased entitled, "The Essential Bogosian," also included three of his early one man shows: Drinking in America, Funhouse, and Men Inside. It is with these one man shows that Bogosian's singular talent is illuminated. I am simply amazed, enthralled, and moved by these performance pieces. I began to write some monologues of my own. I also rented productions of Funhouse and Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll (another one man show). The latter became my favorite. I felt like he was reading my mind.

Wake up and Smell the Coffee is the best show yet. For one thing, it's funnier. Even the really dark stuff is absolutely hilarious. While the tone is more seasoned, none of the excruciating candor is compromised. In fact, my favorite two monologues are autobiographic - Bogosian as Bogosian.

Nothing is easy. No assumptions are made. Nothing is taken for granted. Everything is open for analysis. Perhaps I am biased because I share his paradigm of ultimate absurdity but, I think Eric Bogosian is a frickin genius.

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