Review: DAVID DEAN BOTTRELL MAKES LOVE: A ONE-MAN SHOW - Stories Of Life, Love, & Soiled Drapes Is A Swipe Right at The Triad

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow Tribe! Bobby Patrick your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in cabareT to bring you all the T!

Well, dear rainbow tribe, Wednesday night was a gaylapalooza as we took ourselves uptown to the Triad for DAVID DEAN BOTTRELL MAKES LOVE: A ONE-MAN SHOW. DDB, a perennial across our television landscapes with appearances on MODERN FAMILY, THE BLACKLIST, and LAW AND ORDER: WHICHEVER is probably best remembered (because it says so in his bio) as the weirdo Lincoln Meyer, one of the eccentric guest cases for BOSTON LEGAL's Denny Crane/William Shatner. Bottrell is also well known in the storytelling community and therein, my loves, lies the beauty of this solo performance. At Wednesday's preview, DDB had an exceptionally enthusiastic audience of listeners who were with him every step of the way through the 8 stories featured from Bottrell's life. DDB MAKES LOVE is "slightly linear" in that, though the stories skip about a bit, the progress through the tales leads us from his past to his present as depicted through his various sojourns into the world, both virtual and actual, in the search for love - be it from his crazed Kentucky family or in the many stops along the way to have sex and longing with various men.

TBH my dearlings, there is nothing specifically new going on here as we have all seen shows where a lone player regales the listeners with the ups and downs of their dating crazies. We have listened to the hilarity and the poignancy, been touched, shocked, and tickled time and again as all types of actor/writers, gay, straight, and the in-betweens, have developed real relationships with their crowds by letting us all know that they are just like us and ain't it funny. The charm of A ONE-MAN SHOW is, in fact, the one man. DDB is adorable to look at and listen to. He tells charming stories in charming ways and weren't we all charmed by them - You bet Bobby's rainbow bottom we were. Even in this first preview performance technical glitches and one or two actor-stumble-bumbles were handled openly with the audience and with great ... wait for it... charm. DDB has always been a very gifted actor and now we know that he can write too. The stories he tells are about coping in a world that has moved from social and familial hostility towards rather outre gay men like Bottrell. Hostility that created moments of self-doubt and even nervous-breakdown-inducing self-hatred, before propelling him through the rough waters of dating apps, hookup apps, and one alarmingly unprofessional therapist. This story, CRAZY ZONE, was one of the highlights of the night as was PRICE OF ADMISSION - the story of a passionate showmance that lead to a 10-year relationship that had its troubles both funny and tragic. Bottrell's slightly countrified rhythms make a kind of verbal music throughout, and when he has to go full-on Gomer for the family moments he is truly hilarious. The one drop of rain that falls with this rainbow, adding a touch of critic to this critique is, that without amplification, DDB should call up a bit more of his theatre background and pitch his projection up a bit. We didn't strain to hear anything, but a bit more vocal power will allow the audience's auditories to relax.

All in all dear rainbow readers, Bobby has to say that in the hands of this sensitive performer, each story came to life in the most entertaining of ways throughout the evening and if you are a storytelling fan, this show is most definitely for you. And so, with our full recommendation to all our story fans, Bobby gives DAVID DEAN BOTTRELL MAKES LOVE: A ONE-MAN SHOW a whopping...

4 Out Of 5 Rainbows

The Show Runs Wednesday Nights through June 1. Get Your Tickets: HERE

Check out DDB's WebbySite: HERE

Tweet His Twitters: HERE

Stalk his InstaPictograms: HERE

Ande Followe On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

Photos By, Carmen Guzman

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