BANG
nytheatre.com review by Richard Stroker
August 15, 2002
Twenty-six years ago Lily Tomlin and Robin Williams apparently had
a love child. Her name is C.C. Seymour. The NYC Fringe Festival
gives us the opportunity to witness Seymour’s comic genius in
her one-woman show, aptly titled Bang, which opened fire
at the Kraine Theater on Friday night. Seymour has Tomlin’s ability to immerse herself in wacky yet real characters. She has Williams’ rocket-fueled energy, impressive vocal sound effects and ability to seamlessly segue from one character to another. Her stage presence has supreme confidence and control which allows her to utterly lose control within her many characters, much to the audience’s benefit.
Bang is a poignant and hilarious tale of a woman coming of age. It deals with childhood fantasies, friends, parents, school, braces, acne, puberty, popularity, masturbation, boys, dating, cars, teachers, booze, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll with uncanny tact and tastefulness.
Seymour wrote the script, along with the music and lyrics. She’s accompanied by a fun three-piece rock band (Dan Barnhill, Doug Thoms, Louis Tucci). Eric Loeb’s direction is flawless. The excellent lighting design is by Christopher Weston.
Bang proves what an outright gas it can be attending live theatre in New York. It’s infinitely more entertaining than anything on TV—Seymour has more comedic talent in the dirt under the fingernail of her left pinky than the entire cast of "Saturday Night Live."
This show is a must-see for anyone who loves to laugh.
