Monster in a Box

In this monologue, Spalding Gray has returned to exploit his incredible storytelling abilities, which he will use to take us on a psychological journey through his experience of attempting to write a book (which he calls "the Monster")- after having two previously successful monologues (that is, excluding his uber-rare monologues on LA and a Personal History of American Theatre), a minor acting career (most notably in Joffe's "The Killing Fields"), and the death of his mother.

As always, he puts on one hell of an entertaining performance. I still like "Swimming to Cambodia" better, but he puts on an equally amazing performance in this piece. It's just that there isn't as much of a cinematic touch put on the film- as compared to "Swimming" and "Gray's Anatomy". The focus here is all on Spalding.

Spalding Gray is truly a master storyteller that must be seen to be experienced. I regret not getting an oppourtunity to see him live...before he passed on and all. Thankfully we have these brilliant testaments, which he has left us with. 9 out of 10.

in his descriptions of CAA, platinum card lunches in Hollywood, psychoanalysis, a vacation in Provincetown he never took, and free trips to Nicaragua, financed by Columbia pictures.

It sounds narcissistic, but Spalding Gray (possibly because of his unusual personality) ropes the audience in, laughs at himself (perhaps because he did not take the Hollywood thing oh-so-seriously) and gets us to care.

This monologue is not just about "The Killing Fields", or "Swimming to Cambodia"; it is more a pastiche of events, as he sees them. Some of the lines are classic, as when Gray meets with the esteemed talent agents at CAA. The conference table is ..."full of them, tanned, healthy, fresh from drinking blue-green algae from an Oregon lake...there are no drugs now in Hollywood".

This was before the tragedy occurred. Many of us will miss his off-balance humor. 9/10.

His voice projects every emotion imaginable in a matter of seconds...fear, confusion, sarcasm, irony, sadness, hope, happiness, etc., etc. Spalding Gray is a different kind of performer, a man whose monologues have continued to enthrall and inspire me ever since I first came across them. In "Monster in a Box", Gray recounts the years he spent writing a massive nearly 2,000 page semi autobiographical novel after his mother's suicide. Constantly being sidetracked by his own, absurd misadventures, Gray's life becomes a whirlwind of comic mischief and insightful self reflection.

This piece allows the viewer to get inside the head of one of the performing arts' most underrated geniuses. Gray thankfully left his mark on the world before unfortunately deciding to have his own experience with suicide, one that be rid America of one of its greatest, funniest, and most unique talents. "Monster in a Box" is among his very best work as it combines all of the elements that made his work so fantastic and entertaining, particularly his humor and heart. Often outwardly wacky and quirkily comical, this film also contains moments of subtle poignancy. Whether this is truly a tragedy or a comedy by nature is up to the audience to decide. From my perspective, it further proves my ongoing theory that life is neither tragedy nor comedy, but rather a whirlwind of those two emotions; two emotions that aren't as clearly defined as we seem to think they are, two emotions far more similar than they appear.

It isn't a movie but a monologue performance on film and a really good monologuist performance by Spaulding Gray. Anecdotes embellished for storytelling are patterned to fit in with flashbacks to the "Impossible Vacation" that sits atop the desk.

Gray theatrically converses with the audience and other viewers of the performance, at times with the minimalist-synthesized score by Laurie Anderson to accentuate the mood. You will feel both the attempt for Gray to come full circle and the subtle depression Gray exudes through his retrospections well into the performance.

Anyone who has lost someone close to mental illness or has lived a life like that of Spaulding Gray will empathize as they watch this series of strange adventures into writing, acting, relationships, society, and the simile of personal solitude to self-realization whenever experiences unexpected encounters through one's own ambling.

Gray can make the English language jump through hoops like none other. He recounts a number of events, tied together by his writing of a manuscript (the "Monster" of the title), some sad, some uproariously funny, all in his characteristic, sarcastic manner. If you liked "Swimming to Cambodia" you will love this one. I actually thought this was a bit more interesting and better told than "Swimming to Cambodia". A real masterpiece.