BWW Reviews: Cam Clarke Shares his Inspirational Journey to Self Acceptance in STOP ME IF I TOLD YOU THIS

C-Squared Productions is presenting the inspirational world premiere solo show STOP ME IF I TOLD YOU THIS, written and performed by Cam Clarke and directed by Mark L. Taylor, as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre.

STOP ME IF I TOLD YOU THIS is the touching, funny, off-beat multimedia musical memoir of prolific voice-over actor Cam Clarke who began his career in short pants and knee socks in 1965 as one of the youngest members of TV's "The King Family Show" - all 39 members in an environment where Mormonism and Burlesque collided! The show business progeny of glamorous Alyce King of The King Sisters and science fiction B-movie icon Robert Clarke, his childhood played out on TV screens across America, but his true nature was something he chose to hide from his Mormon family and school friends.

In Clarke's autobiographical show, he tells the tale of how a child born into Hollywood royalty struggled to find his own identity. With songs and nostalgia, the show traces Clarke's uniquely profound journey through his childhood on TV through his two-year stint in Argentina as a Mormon missionary, his time at BYU in search of the right Mormon woman to marry so he could get into heaven, to his journey through Hollywood and New York trying to make it as an actor who could move well. And all the while, he struggled to accept he was gay for fear of what others might think of him.

Since the early eighties, Cam has been working in voiceovers, particularly in animation, voicing such characters as Leonardo in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Clarke has also voiced many other characters, including Snoopy, Simba in The Lion King, Der Fledermaus in The Tick, Mac on Clifford the Big Red Dog, He-Man in He-Man, Masters of the Universe, and Freddy the Ferret in Back at the Barnyard, and more, including several popular video games, most notably the Metal Gear Solid series as Liquid Snake.

Thanks to a very entertaining three-screen video presentation, all of these characters take part in the show, assisting Clarke with telling his story about struggling to come to grips with his "homosexual tendencies" in the face of his Mormon faith and family. This is a story that needs to be told, as often as possible, so that anyone struggling to come out and accept who they are can hear how Clarke's long journey to his own truth created a more fulfilling and happy life for the actor, including acceptance by his family members who followed their hearts to unconditional love.

Clarke's ease with himself clearly sets the mood from the beginning of the show, which runs for 90 minutes without an intermission - and seems to fly by due to the crisp direction by Mark L. Taylor and Clarke's jolly good nature. Video clips from "The King Family Show" are a highlight, especially when Clarke shares clips that clearly show his "tendencies" began at a very early age. So was it nature or nurture that made him what he is - or just his mother's chiffon dresses he loved to play in on the show? Who knows - but his story certainly promotes the idea he was born that way, making it even more ironic that his signature performances on the show was singing "Thank Heaven for Little Girls."

I thoroughly enjoyed the show and was honored to be in the presence of such an inspirational and outspoken entertainer. His so very personal journey through fear and confusion to love and acceptance will certainly inspire all of us, no matter what our sexual orientation happens to be, to just be who we are. The fan mail Clarke receives from all over the world certainly confirms his message is getting delivered.

STOP ME IF I TOLD YOU THIS continues at the Odyssey Theatre, located at 2055 Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles, 90025. The regular performance schedule is Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through March 29 only. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.odysseytheatre.com or via phone at (310) 477-2055, ext. 2.

Photos of Cam Clarke by Michael Lamont

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