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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 8/7/2016 (1201 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
We arrive to recordings of nostalgia cigarette commercials (listen for the guy who claims "he forgets to eat, but never forgets to smoke"), and then… we’re hooked.
There is no "smoke and mirrors" in this solid, hour-long monologue on smoking; just one man’s honest examination of how and why he began the habit, and what cigarettes have meant to him at various milestones in his life.
Writer/performer Bob Brader from New York is a dynamic storyteller, with a wonderful, strong voice — hardly the pipes of a longtime smoker — and a talent for creating visuals and clearly delineating the various characters in his story (his interpretations of his cruel father and that mocking "voice of the cigarette cravings" are standouts).
He relates things all smokers will understand (that click of the lighter, the sensual satisfaction of that first drag) while simultaneously informing the non-smokers along the way.
Never preachy or heavy-handed, and neither for nor against smoking, just — as the old commercials say — satisfying.
— Janice Sawka
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From the Fringe program:
Have you ever had to give up something you love? From the creative team of Spitting in the Face of the Devil comes award-winning monologist Bob Brader’s new comedy about his love affair with smoking. Bob realizes the complex connections he has through smoking: how it helped him through a turbulent childhood, created opportunities and one particular connection too precious to let go. Winner, Best Autobiographical Show, United Solo.
5 STARS "Brader is a brilliant storyteller" - Donald’s Dish London
4 STARS "Unforgettable" - Winnipeg Free Press
Show Length: 60 minutes
Suggested Audience: Mature
Warnings: Coarse Language
Fri, Jul 15, 2016 – 11:15 PM
Sun, Jul 17, 2016 – 4:30 PM
Mon, Jul 18, 2016 – 9:30 PM
Wed, Jul 20, 2016 – 2:45 PM
Thu, Jul 21, 2016 – 7:45 PM
Sat, Jul 23, 2016 – 1:00 PM
Sun, Jul 24, 2016 – 6:15 PM
Updated on Friday, July 15, 2016 at 2:28 PM CDT: Adds review.
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