Lord Buckley (1906-1960) was a visionary American humorist, storyteller, porto-rapper and hipster saint best known for transforming Bible stories, Shakespeare soliloquies, myth, legend and history into one-of-a-kind beat monologues combining black street argot and the King’s English into a jazzy patois and worldview that anticipated psychedelia and rap by decades. “Jonah & The Whale,” “The Hip Gahn,” “Scrooge,” “Hipsters, Flipsters & Finger-Poppin’ Daddies,” and “The Nazz” are just a few of his hallmark monologues that are the stuff of bohemian fable.
In a surreal radio station on the midnight after his death, Lord Buckley spins out his life story to a DJ named Orpheus while demonstrating his unique stylized material. As the two talk—a dialogue interspersed with multiple flashbacks to various points in Lord Buckley’s life—the conversation shifts into a discussion about the importance of truth and art, a topic which includes a trip to Hades and a cameo by God himself as it becomes increasingly apparent that Lord Buckley is bargaining for his very soul.
PART OF THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL 2015
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY 20 @ 4:45 PM
FRIDAY 21 @ 9:30 PM
SUNDAY 23 @ NOON
TUESDAY 25 @ 7 PM
THURSDAY 27 @ 2 PM
