Mike Daisey to Tell the Truth, the James Frey Way, Oct. 5 at Ars Nova
By Robert Simonson
25 Sep 2006
Mike Daisey will premiere his new monologue Truth (the heart is a million little pieces above all things) at Ars Nova in Manhattan on Oct. 5.
As the subtitle hints, the piece will address the rise and fall of disgraced author James Frey, whose best-selling memoir "A Million Little Pieces" turned out to be largely fabricated, leading Oprah Winfrey, a one-time supporter, to dress him down on national television.
The solo will also look at J.T. LeRoy, another famous writer ("The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things"), who, it was revealed, did not exist, but was a hoax perpetrated by author Laura Albert. Savannah Knoop, half sister to Geoffrey Knoop, Albert's former partner, posed as LeRoy's public persona.
According to press materials, "these stories are reflected against an autobiographical accounting of Daisey's own history of lying and telling the truth in an attempt to illuminate the uncertain landscape of the emotionally true, the literally true, and the constant struggle to speak the truth."
Early this year, Daisey presented Great Men of Genius, in which Daisey examined the lives of L. Ron Hubbard, a science fiction author who transformed himself into the guru of his own faith, the Church of Scientology; P.T. Barnum, the showman and master of publicity and hokum; Nikola Tesla, the Serbian-American scientist and inventor who came up with the alternated current electrical power, was a rival of Edison and died penniless and mad; and Bertolt Brecht, the German playwright.
Mike Daisey is best known for his piece, 21 Dog Years, in which he tore down his one-time employer, Amazon.com.
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