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"If
you think there's any level of compassion or empathy
out there, I've got news for you. There is none.
Wake up and smell the coffee! It's all anarchy and
chaos."
-Eric Bogosian
Probably
best known as the abrasive talk-show host in Oliver
Stone's ‘Talk Radio’ (1988), Eric Bogosian is something
of a rarity. Though on the New York stage he has
attained the singular achievement of authoring five
full-length plays and six solo shows, Bogosian does
not consider himself a playwrite. He is rather,
in his own words, "a creator of monologues".
Whether by brutally honest observations, hysterical
outbursts, or caustic rants, Bogosian has made a
career out of dissecting modern society with the
sharpest tool he’s got: his mouth.
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Written by and Starring: |
Eric Bogosian |
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Directed by: |
Michael Rauch |
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Produced by: |
Elixir Films
Indigent |
‘Wake Up and Smell the
Coffee’ is the latest film version of said dissection.
After proving his staying power with seminal work
like ‘Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead’
and ‘Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll,’ Bogosian now
uses his frenetic talents to take on the likes
of Depak Chopra, Jesus, and soccer dads. Like
the Beats before him, Bogosian uses the rhythms
and music of the English language to weave a spell
that, whether you agree with him or not, remains
absolutely captivating. Performed live in the
Jane Street Theater, a gritty off-Broadway house
with less than 300 seats and a tiny stage, ‘Wake
Up And Smell the Coffee’ is an intimate look at
one man’s thoughts and feelings about human existence
and the way we all manage to lie to ourselves.
Eric
Bogosian's solos have earned him three Obies and
a Drama Desk Award. In 2004 he was awarded a Guggenheim
Fellowship to continue his work in theater.
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