Review - Mike Daisey Upgrades 'The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs'

The controversy remains fresh as a Daisey down at The Public Theater, where extemporaneous monologist Mike Daisy returns for a new engagement of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.

This is a piece he's been performing since the summer of 2010, describing his observations at the Foxconn Technology plant, the city-sized factory in Shenzhen, China, where iPads and iPhones are manufactured.

"Do you really think Apple doesn't know?" is the question he puts forth, after describing working conditions so harsh that nets had to be placed outside the factory's windows in order to stop employees from committing suicide by leaping to their deaths.

When the titular subject passed away just as Daisey had started previews for his initial New York run, some questioned the appropriateness of his material being performed during a time when Jobs was being hailed as one of American history's great visionaries and some disputed the accuracy of his presentation. But recently, a front page New York Times story seemed to confirm Daisey's findings by reporting on working conditions at Foxconn. ABC News then brought cameras into the factory and spoke with workers.

As a theatre critic, it's not my place to report on the facts of the controversy but to offer my opinion that what was a fascinating evening of activist theatre when it opened last October (Click here for my original review.) now emerges as one of the most living and breathing dramas to be currently seen on a New York stage. As has always been his practice, Mike Daisey doesn't script his monologues, but works off of notes and refines and changes from performance to performance. I certainly noticed a bit of updating from his October Public Theater run when I caught his show again this past weekend and I imagine releases of new information will inspire further additions.

But if you're unable to see The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs live, Daisey, who has never before committed any of his shows to a published text, has made a script of his monologue (click here) available on the Internet. It is not only free to read, but to perform, adapt, revise and pretty much do whatever you want with it, royalty-free.

So, though I highly recommend a trip to the Public to see the author in person, you may prefer to just stand in the middle of Astor Place and start performing the show yourself.

Photo of Mike Daisey by Joan Marcus.

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