Review – Dr. Professor Neal Portenza: Performs his Own Autopsy Live on Stage. One Night Only. (Obviously).
It’s a strange feeling to come across something that could easily either be deceptively brilliant or inanely shit. Well, Dr. Professor Neal Portenza is exactly that. I still don’t know if I should be lauding the genius, or appreciating the savant-like luck, of this show. One thing is for sure, though: It’s a lot of fun.
From the fake false start, through the various sketches, to the audience participation section ‘bag of drugs’, and right on through to the appearance of ‘Gary’, there’s a lot going on in this show. At first, I thought it was unfocused, undirected (even with the director apparently in the audience that night), but there’s no way someone could have timing that consistently good without something more going on, right?
Ordinarily, I’d want to make some statement about how this show is tight and funny the whole way through, but this… isn’t that kind of show. It is controlled and calculating one moment, then absurd and manic the next, the dissonance seemingly the point of the whole piece.
Please excuse me for turning in to an ‘arts’ critic, by the way, but it feels like it’s the only way I can wrap my head around this show without simply saying ‘funny man do funny things’. I’m really not a fan of absurd slapstick for its own sake and will immediately disconnect from a show I feel is simply milking laughs unknowingly, but Dr. Professor Neal Portenza was… something else… something cunning… something absolutely entertaining.
Dr. Professor Neal Portenza Performs his Own Autopsy Live on Stage. One Night Only. (Obviously). is running every night except Wednesdays until the 20th of April
