How does a well-known San Francisco comic ("openly gay since 1987") tell the story of her parents' murder-suicide? In the only way she knows how: hilariously. "I grew up in a funny family. And then my dad shot my mom. And then himself. He was a WWII vet, an Elk. She was a passive-aggressive poet. The "greatest generation?" Nah. Love is deadly. You ever thought of killing your spouse? It could happen to you. I survived it. Mostly. And I'm a comic."
United Solo, the world's largest solo show festival, is pleased to present Marilyn Pittman's solo show, IT'S ALL THE RAGE developed at The Marsh in San Francisco in 2010. It is directed by David Ford.
In 1997, Pittman's identity as a comic, radio host, UC Berkeley educator and NPR talent consultant was shattered by the sudden murder-suicide of her parents. The Pittmans were a family of big personalities doing daring things, like wild mountain car rides at 10,000 feet. As her mom would say, "We had a lot of fun!"
After Pittman's parents died, she poured through her mother's journals and her father's post WWII love letters, trying to find answers to her questions. Did her parents really love each other? Why did they stay married if they were so unhappy? Could she have seen this coming? Gradually, she came to understand how their love eroded over time into fear and hate. As she researched her father's WWII service in Germany, she noticed parallels to the rash of murder-suicides by soldiers returning from Iraq and to the wave of domestic violence and raging mass murders happening today. That's why the show is called "It's All The Rage."
Pittman emerged from the San Francisco gay comedy scene during the AIDS era. She made her name as a headliner at Josie's Cabaret in San Francisco's Castro district, along with her two solo shows, "Thank Your For Sharing" and "But Enough About You." LGBT audiences from Provincetown to Anchorage cracked up at her takes on the right wing, personal ads, gay sex, lesbian relationships, and the New Age. She is a G.L.A.A.D. Media Award winner for her work as an ‘out' comic.
Her radio career spans three decades. Rock jock, producer , writer, and talk show host for KGO-ABC. They hired her in response to a threatened boycott by G.L.A.A.D. in response to the homophobic rants of Rush Limbaugh. Her commentaries on technology and LGBT issues have been heard nationally on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," "The Laura Flanders Show," KQED's "Forum." Currently, Pittman hosts "Out In The Bay," a weekly interview show on LGBT issues, people, and culture on KALW, San Francisco. Now in it's 7th year, the program has featured Ang Lee, Margaret Cho, John Waters, Cybil Shepherd and Gus Van Sant among others.
She is the top talent consultant and voice coach for NPR stations, and teaches broadcast and new media performance at UC Berkeley's Journalism School and The Knight Digital Media Center. She also coaches Fortune 500 executives on their presentation skills.
Along with IT'S ALL THE RAGE", her current projects include "Fans Of The Game," a sports talk radio show, and a documentary, "Valencia Rose to Josie's Cabaret: A History of Queer Comedy in San Francisco."
Pittman was commissioned to create "IT'S ALL THE RAGE" by The Marsh Theatre's New Performance initiative in 2010 in San Francisco. She premiered the show to standing ovations as part of the Festival of New Voices II in June of 2010 and had a run at the San Francisco Marsh November 5-December 4, 2010. This is her New York premiere.
