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Underbelly

The beat goes on in fringe magnet Jayson McDonald’s homage to junkie wordslinger William S. Burroughs.

The London, Ont., writer-performer’s rambling, hallucinogenic circle tour of Burroughs’ life is an artfully conceived 60-minute tangent that incorporates a skilful cut-up of biographical notes, along with cameos from beat contemporaries Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.

Rife with visceral imagery — “The baby erupts from her womb like a cork from a champagne bottle” — and poetic virtuosity, it packs an impressive cerebral punch.

If only the performance connected on a gut level, this drama would be unbeatable.

— Pat St. Germain

 

From the Fringe program:

Willy is a pharmaceutical astronaut in search of the whats and the wherefores, cutting and pasting narrative over a backdrop of urban decay and suburban clot, and mapping the Underbelly for future malcontents.

A fevered hallucination inspired by the life and work of William S. Burroughs and The Beats from the creator of "Giant Invisible Robot", "Boat Load" and "Gunpowder".

Recommended For: Mature Audience

Length: 60 min

Tickets: $10

Under 16 not admitted.

Warnings: Subject Matter, Language

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Updated on Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 12:39 PM CDT:
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