'I'm Not a Comedian...I'm Lenny Bruce' Electrifies The Suffolk in Riverhead

The legend of Lenny Bruce has far outlasted his sudden death from a morphine overdose, found naked in his Hollywood Hills bathroom on August 3, 1966, at the age of 40.

On July 17, for one night only, this compelling one-man show I’m Not A Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce, written by and starring critically acclaimed actor Ronnie Marmo and directed by multi award-winner Joe Mantegna, arrives at The Suffolk in Riverhead.

Marmo delivers an electrifying portrayal of Lenny Bruce in his play which chronicles this renowned stand-up comedian, social critic and satirist whose controversial and provocative brand of humor was frowned upon in the 1950s and ’60s causing him to be banned from television, clubs and countries like Australia, and monitored by police when he took the stage.

Bruce’s 1964 trial for obscenity was a landmark case for freedom of speech in the United States. He is credited with paving the way for comedians who came after him allowing them to push the envelope on subjects like politics, religion, sex and vulgarity. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lenny Bruce third on its list of the 50 best stand-up comedians of all time.

Ronnie Marmo and Joe Mantegna recently sat down to talk about their beloved play which premiered in 2017 at Theatre 68 in LA and has been on a national tour ever since. Marmo has been hailed for his tour-de-force performance of Bruce including some 25 other characters that he portrays in the show, and Mantegna has received rave reviews for his expert direction.

It seems the successful collaboration between these two industry powerhouses was destined to happen. “I have known Joe for almost 20 years,” Marmo said. “Joe has always been a friend and a mentor and when I wrote the play I told Joe I got this play about Lenny Bruce and I would like you to direct it.”

“I said, let’s see what you got. I went to his theater, he got up on the stage and did an hour or so of this material, and when he finished I said, look I’m in, but I gotta ask you something, are you OK with being naked on stage for the first five minutes of the play? He jumped right in and said of course, what’s the problem!”

“It was actually a brilliant idea because when I wrote the play, I did not start it the way I do now. It was Joe’s idea to kind of bookend the show and I thought it was perfect.”

“When I saw the material, I felt this is the guy’s life story and I thought let’s just take this thing in reverse. Let’s start at the end then jump back to the beginning and I thought it would be a very explosive beginning to have this dead guy sitting on the toilet on stage naked and that’s the first line of the play; I was found naked in the bathroom.”

At every stop throughout this national tour, Marmo has been met with enthusiasm for his play that seems to resonate with audiences especially in the present climate. “I feel like Lenny is so relevant now. Obviously, the country is in a bit of trouble and the first amendment is always topical and now seems to be more than ever with free speech and free expression. I feel it’s an important show. I’m very grateful that people seem to care about seeing Lenny again and hearing from him. They want to experience the show. Joe and I hoped we would do well with this and run a few months in LA, but here we are seven years and 454 performances later! The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel no doubt added to the resurgence of Lenny Bruce and exposed an entire generation to his name. But this is a very different thing than Mrs. Maisel. This is gritty. People think they’re coming to a stand-up show and I always say it’s the funniest tragedy you’ll ever see. It’s a Broadway quality level show with beautiful lighting, great sound, Joe’s direction is fantastic and I run around the stage like a maniac.”

“What Ronnie created here in terms of material is extraordinary. Yes, a lot of it is Lenny Bruce, but it’s the telling of the story in the most entertaining, interesting and insightful ways possible. I live by the motto ‘if it’s on the page, it’s on the stage.’ If something can have that much longevity, still be vital and it works, then there’s something to be said about the material.”

Marmo spoke about how cathartic it is to play this tragic pop culture figure. “I feel like it’s 90 minutes of therapy every night. I laugh, I cry, I fall in love, I leave the show like I lost 80 lbs. It’s a monster of a play and a very humbling experience.”

Mantegna shared a shocking personal anecdote on Lenny Bruce. “Years ago, there was the play Lenny on Broadway. I was the understudy for the Chicago production. I got to be good friends with the playwright, Julian Barry. I remember Julian telling me how he was doing research with Lenny and had audio tapes that Lenny was making right up to the moment he died. On the tape there’s even this interruption where Lenny is saying, ‘excuse me I gotta go to the bathroom.’ The last that anybody ever heard of Lenny was on those tapes. With Ronnie’s play, he did so much research on it that brings out the tragic side of what Lenny had to go through. The second half of the play gets into the price he paid. I think that is so important. That’s the beauty of it. That’s the comedy and the tragedy.”

“At The Suffolk, we’re doing a special talk back after the show,” Marmo said. “What I have found is that people want to communicate about it after they see the show and I’m thrilled to come back to Long Island. The Suffolk is so cool! It’s like old school Lenny with that almost supper club feel.”

The reviews for I’m Not A Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce are in and they’re spectacular. Marmo kidded, “You would think my grandmother wrote them, it’s great!” Mantegna said, “Reviewers who are notorious for being tough are the ones who wrote the love letters.”

Don’t miss the critically acclaimed I’m Not a Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce playing one night only Thursday, July 17, 8 p.m. at The Suffolk in Riverhead, 118 E. Main Street.

Tickets and information are available online at thesuffolk.org or call the box office at 631-727-4343.

Barbara Anne Kirshner is a freelance journalist and photographer whose celebrity interviews, theatre reviews, features and human interest stories appear in major publications. She is author of the children’s chapter book, Madison Weatherbee The Different Dachshund, Madison Weatherbee The Musical and a host of one-act plays that have been produced across Long Island. Her children’s picture book, Life According to Lexington, is due out later this year.