Berkeley Repertory Theatre Scores With ‘Great Men of Genius’:
Conceptually speaking, this is all pretty daring. As such, it’s easy to imagine Daisey as some crusty old man impersonating Jim Lehrer on Quaaludes. Happily, Daisey is, like his subject Barnum, a master showman, combining the storytelling acumen of David Sedaris and Lewis Black’s outraged humor. Each monologue would probably play well on radio, but Daisey visually engages people in such a unique way, through both pointed gestures and cheerful improvisation (Daisey delivers each monologue from a set of notes) that it would be a shame to lose the rapport he establishes with his audience.
The “Great Men of Genius” monologues follow a similar format, as Daisey recapitulates the history and heroics of each man, shoehorning in his own personal anecdotes along the way. The histories are singularly funny and enlightening, but Daisey is at his best (as who is not?) when he’s talking about himself. It’s rare that a performer can execute a perfect note of compassion—as when he relates the story of a young girl bankrupted by the Scientologist bureaucracy—while still being able to tell with sadistic glee the story of a lab partner who dared to pour liquid nitrogen down her throat (she lived).
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