May 11—21, 2017
How to be a Rock CriticBased on the Writing of Lester Bangs
The first mistake of great art is to assume it’s serious.
In a living room strewn with vinyl records, beer bottles and drug paraphernalia, a mustached man begins railing about his missing copy of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks album, and it seems he won’t back down until the universe bestows upon him some elusive state of grace. Part Gonzo rock performance, part mental breakdown — all thrillingly theatrical— How To Be A Rock Critic pulls the greatest hits from Bangs’s own legendary words to imagine a single night of his turbulent life.
Inside his wild, all-night typewriter sessions, Lester Bangs embraced mistakes as strokes of genius, popularized now ubiquitous terms like “Heavy Metal” and “Punk Rock” and died of an overdose at the Biblical age of 33. Join us for an evening with music’s great, lost critical voice.
Info
Venue
Emerson Paramount Center
Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre
559 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111
Dates
May 11, 2017 - May 21, 2017
Details
75 minutes, no intermission
Ages 18+| Mature Themes
Produced in Association with ArKtype / Thomas O. Kriegsmann
“A very, very engaging performer”
“Very emotional…very humorous.”
— The Boston Globe
“I was nearly jolted out of my seat…this is inspiring, when it’s not unnerving, to be in the presence of such passion.”
— Jared Bowen, WBGH
“Not to be missed”
“[Jensen portrays] Bangs with a beautifully unhinged bravado, perfectly captures the near spiritual experience of what happens when people like Bangs (and me) hear those three chords that unleash the mind-bending power of a truly great rock song.”
— Theatre Mirror
“Anyone who cares about rock music, or writing, or striving to find meaning in it all, has to see this play.”
— Cape Cod Times
“This isn’t a review of the show, this is just an all-out recommendation: Go see this show before it ends on May 21st.”
— CYNDONNELLY.COM
“So very impressed…. Jensen brings the passion and fury of Bangs to life once more.”
— Ryan Spaulding, Music Critic
“I was stunned.”
— Steve Morse, Music Critic
“Makes music out of one critic’s words”
“Lovingly obsessive, occasionally manic…That is to say, it winningly takes on the character of the works on which it’s based.”
— WBUR: The Artery
“There’s no mistaking the meandering, impassioned beat/gonzo journalistic style of Lester Bangs.”
— Metro Boston
“The most unlikely theatrical adaptation of rock criticism ever”
— Rolling Stone
“Fascinating, insightful…as cathartic and inspiring as the best Rock ‘n’ Roll”
— LA Weekly
“A terrific performance”
“Just try to look away.”
— LA Times
“Great show”
— @EBERNSEN, Twitter
“Broke my heart in the best possible way.”
“Such a beautiful and sad story and performance. Wonderfully constructed and subtly played.”
— Audience Member