Loft Ensemble in North Hollywood has announced it will host a special limited engagement of Theatre 68’s smash hit production I’m Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce beginning Thursday, September 23, at 8pm. Written and performed by Ronnie Marmo and directed by Joe Mantegna, the run will continue through Saturday, October 2 only. The lighting, projection, and sound design are by Matthew Richter. The show contains adult content and nudity, and the running time is 90 minutes.
An undisputed comic legend, Lenny Bruce was one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. His life and work have had an impact on poetry, politics, music, film, and comedy. Bruce’s tempestuous personal and professional lives were marked by great passion and great pain. His unwavering commitment to free speech led to numerous obscenity charges and arrests. His unique brand of art has yet to be surpassed, and if he was around today, he would be in as much trouble as he was when he was alive. Busted for obscenity, he fought for freedom of speech all the way to the Supreme Court. He died of an accidental overdose in 1966.
Ronnie Marmo (Writer/Performer) has starred in more than 60 feature films and television shows including Criminal Minds, Lethal Weapon, and Ammore E Malavita (Love and Bullets), an Italian musical film. Other credits include Back in the Day, Deuces Wild, Crocodile Dundee in LA, West of Brooklyn, Pizza with Bullets, Truck 20’s Location, Death of a Tree, Irish Eyes (aka Vendetta), Limbo Lounge, JAG, The Young and the Restless, Adults Only, and General Hospital. On stage, he has starred in more than 40 plays including Bill W. and Dr. Bob, Baby Doll, The Late Henry Moss, Danny and The Deep Blue Sea, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. He narrates the audiobook version of Lenny Bruces’s autobiography, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People. As a director, he has staged over 50 productions and served as producer on more than 120 shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. He is the Artistic Director of Theatre 68 in Los Angeles and New York City.
Joe Mantegna (Director) won the 1984 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in David Mamet‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning Glengarry Glen Ross. Other film and television credits include House of Games, Searching for Bobby Fisher, The Godfather III, The Ratpack, The Last Don, Joan of Arcadia, and The Starter Wife. He lent his voice to the Disney/Pixar film CARS2 and continues his 23-year run as Fat Tony on The Simpsons. In April 2011 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A portion of the proceeds from this engagement will go to the Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, which provides funds for those who have no insurance or enough money to get treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. For more information, go to www.lennybruce.org. All contributions are tax deductible. General admission is $35, and seats may be reserved online at www.lennybruceonstage.com or www.theatre68.com. The performance schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm. Loft Ensemble is located at 11031 Camarillo Street in North Hollywood, 91602.