 “From the floodwaters of New
Orleans to the backwaters of the Fens, this is one Yank’s story of survival.”Fresh off the boat from Louisiana, Steven Young, a recent UK transplant,
tells the very personal tragi-comic tale of the Katrina disaster. From the vibrant
pre-hurricane New Orleans and the fascination of the “bead culture,” through the
disaster and aftermath, audiences laugh and gasp at Young’s tales of Katrina’s
effects on the Crescent City and the psyche of the United States.
Interwoven with his personal observations of life in modern-day England,
Young, who can trace his British heritage back to the reformation, comments on life as an
American in Lincolnshire. Trained as a classical Shakespearian actor with a strong gift
for the written word, Young’s theatrical delivery reaches out to grab audiences
moving them to laughter and tears.
Young’s show is part of the Free Festival, where the ratio of
coin to paper in the donation bucket at the end of the show is the true measure of comic
genius. Not one to leave his fate to chance, in the act’s grand finale Young calls on
his ancestors – a long line of Holy Roller Baptist preachers – for divine
intervention. Patrons of Battling Katrina and Other Nasty Water Nymphs parting with
folding money will find themselves initiated into the bead culture with genuine New
Orleans Mardi Gras medallion, labeling the wear forever as a Friend of Steve. “God
doesn’t want your repentance. He wants a fiver.
“This man is a comic genius. If this man was on TV I would stay
at home and switch on the normally disappointing box.”
http://www.knuts-club.co.uk/images/pastshows/2006/comedy_night_30sept.htm
“…the funniest production I have ever
seen…” - Chicago Arts and Entertainment, Greg Butler
“Critic's Pick! Searing, poignant,
acerbic, surreal, and thought-provoking theater.” - Windy City Times (Chicago), Rick
Reed |
