Escape From
Bellevue and Other Stories, directed by
Horton Foote Jr. and produced by Knockout Drops and Victoria DeRose,
will make its off-Broadway debut with a special engagement at New York
City's Paradise Factory Theater (64 East 4th Street).
The show will run from December 2nd, 2005 through January 14th, 2006.
"Written and performed by Christopher John Campion, the talented and
dynamic frontman for seminal downtown rock band Knockout Drops, Escape
From Bellevue and Other Stories moves fluidly from scripted monologues
of Campion's twisted, autobiographical tales to full-blown band
performances of the songs inspired by these real-life escapades.
Alternately raucous and reflective, irreverently funny and
unflinchingly honest, this music-driven multimedia show also
interweaves special segue visual content conceived by Campion,
including video vignettes directed by videographer/photographer Chris
Cassidy, and surrealist animated sequences by artist Alex Gardega. The
result is a unique 90-minute rock-n-roll odyssey that promises to give
music fans and concertgoers, comedy lovers and avant-garde theater
audiences alike a brand new live entertainment experience," according to production notes."Since 1963, no patient has successfully escaped from behind the
electronic doors at Manhattan's famously foreboding Bellevue Hospital.
That is, none until Chris Campion earned that dubious distinction.
Between 1998 and 2000, Campion landed there on three separate
ignominious occasions—or, two-and-a-half times, if you factor in his
hilariously brazen escape, a feat that makes him 'The Steve McQueen of
rock-n-roll,' he muses. At the center of this chronicle is Campion's spiraling, indulgent
rock-n-roll lifestyle, which takes him to some bizarre places over the
years--most notably, Bellevue, where he brings the audience inside for
a bird's-eye view of the cuckoo's nest and its inhabitants, and where
his cunning subsequent getaway is a key part of the saga."
Coinciding with the stage production, Knockout Drops
are simultaneously releasing an 11-song record of the same name in the
first week of December. Produced by the band's guitarist, Tom Licameli,
at his Kaleidoscope Soundworks studio, it features the entire
soundtrack from the stage production, plus a few additional tracks. Knockout Drops frequently perform and sell out shows at many of the City's most
notable venues, including Irving Plaza, Bowery Ballroom, Knitting
Factory, Mercury Lounge, and more. In the past year, the band has
expanded its concert circuit, performing three tours in Europe, where
the Drops have been building a fan base touring behind the critically
acclaimed 2003 release of "Killed By the Lights" (Circus Clone
Records), which was chosen as one of the Top 10 Albums of the Year by Newsday. Escape From Bellevue and Other Stories is the band's second
full-length album in two years. Knockout Drops features Christopher
John Campion (lead vocals), Tom Licameli (guitar/vocals), Phil
Mastrangelo (bass/vocals), and Vinny Cimino (drums).
For more information about the stage production and the band, visit www.knockoutdrops.com .
Click on the link on the website's homepage to view a lively
nine-minute electronic press preview, including show highlights,
partial monologues, music excerpts, and multimedia vignettes—as well as
interviews with Campion and director Horton Foote Jr. A member of the theatrical family that also includes his playwright father and his actress sister Hallie, Foote was seen off-Broadway in Laura Dennis and on film in Infinity, The Water Engine, Blood Red and others.
For tickets and performance schedules, call SmartTix (212-868-4444) or log on to www.smarttix.com.
All tickets are $20 (general admission). Performances are scheduled
every Friday and Saturday evening, from December 2 - January 14, except
December 24. The total running time is 90 minutes without intermission; showtime is 9:00 pm.
