The Surprise
Thursday 3/10/11 8:30pm
Friday 3/11/11 5:30pm
Saturday 3/12/11 4:00pm
Saturday 3/12/11 8:30pm
$9
Martin Dockery, the creator & performer of last year’s sell-out show Wanderlust, returns with another high energy monologue about the discovery of his own family’s deepest secret, set amidst the ruins of the largest temple on Earth. A hilarious, true, and deeply personal tale.
The Surprise won The Frigid New York Festival’s “Audience Choice Award,” The San Francisco Fringe’s “Best Solo Performer,” soloNOVA’s “Performer of the Year,” and was a finalist for the New York Independent Theater awards for “Best Solo Performer” and “Best Short Play.” “Truly vivid.” –The New York Times.
Martin Dockery
Brooklyn, New York
Theatrical Monologue, 60 minutes, Rated PG
Latecomers permitted within 15 minutes
This was the best show I saw at the Rogue.
Technical issues were horrid throughout at this venue for every show I saw – bad mic’s, horrendous lighting, etc.
But Martin Dockery captures you from the first moment, as he’s sitting in that chair with his elaborate gestures and earnest/honest voice. He’s a true master storyteller, and this particular story was written to perfection and performed with poignant poise. It was an honor to stand up in applause at the end.
We were in the back and could hear 98% of it , but a mike would be nice for those with hearing issues, or a smaller venue. A very passionate, honest performance, I think it will haunt me for a while.
Truly excellent performance – well constructed story beautifully told. I went with my husband and two teenage kids – we all loved it. I recommend you seize any opportunity you have to experience Martin Dockery’s storytelling!
I loved Martin in Wanderlust last year and loved The Surprise this year too. I think is is one of the MUST SEE performers of the Fresno Rogue. He is an incredibly gifted storyteller. Martin is a master of weaving moments of frantically energetic humor together with slow poignant moments of emotion and vulnerability. Martin has made me a huge fan of his work, and I hope he keeps bringing us more great shows for the Fresno Rogue in years to come!!
When I could hear it, I liked it. He dramatically expresses many different emotions, tells good stories about himself and his family, reveals the psychological background. Seems very authentic. However — his “sotto voce” is so quiet that he was inaudible from the 8th row for about 1/4 of the show. I was sorry to miss what he said so much of the time. My friends had the same problem.