Susan Granger’s review of “John Leguizamo: Ghetto Klown” (Lyceum Theater)
A little of John Leguizamo’s bold, brash, fearless wit and manic energy goes a long way – and in this current Broadway show, he revisits much of what he previously explored in “Mambo Mouth,” “Spic-O-Rama,” “Freak” and “Sexaholix…a Love Story.”
Conceived and performed as a one-man show by Leguizamo, it’s a self-indulgent, yet entertaining two-and-a-half-hour, five-decade stroll down memory lane – from his early adolescent memories, growing up in a dysfunctional Hispanic family in Jackson Heights, Queens, to his perennial quest for leading-man recognition in Hollywood movies.
For Latinos, status in TinselTown has not been easy to achieve and Leguizamo often found himself at auditions, competing with Benicio Del Toro and Benjamin Bratt for coveted roles. His show-business anecdotes are – by far – the most interesting additions to his usual bad-boy shtick. With wicked mimicry, he recalls encounters with director Brian De Palm, his frustration with his cocaine-sniffing manager, and the perils of working with Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson, Wesley Snipes, Sean Penn and Patrick Swayze. But it’s off-putting to realize that in all this caricatured verbal sparring, Leguizamo insists he’s always been right and his co-stars/co-workers have always been wrong. A dash of humility, even a mere mention of his participation in the disastrous revival of David Mamet’s “American Buffalo” in 2008, would make his plight more sympathetic, although he does credit Pacino with calling him a ‘clown,’ giving him a name for this show which, perhaps, will wind up as a television ‘special.’
Director Fisher Stevens makes excellent use of Aaron Gonzalez’s extensive projections (movie/TV clips, photographs, etc.), and Happy Massee’s spare, functional set. Seating only 950 patrons on three tiers, the Lyceum Theater is the oldest surviving Broadway venue (along with the New Amsterdam Theater) in New York City. It’s also one of the most cramped and least comfortable insofar as seating is concerned, and access to restroom facilities is extremely limited. Better to be forewarned.