The TUNEabomber
By Michael Wysong and John Lampe
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Company Name: Michael Wysong and John Lampe
City/State: New York City
Genre: Comedy, Music, Musical, R
Ratings: R - Adult Content
Warnings: N/A
Website: https://thetuneabomber.com
Venue: The Center for Spiritual Living
Show Times:
| Sat, 7/22 | 4:30 PM |
| Tue, 7/25 | 7:30 PM |
| Thu, 7/27 | 6:00 PM |
| Fri, 7/28 | 7:30 PM |
| Sat, 7/29 | 10:30 PM |
Description:
Set at a parole board hearing, Ted Kaczynski (aka The Unabomber) recounts his life through song in the hope of proving that he never wanted to be a monster, he only wanted to be a star. While he may have spent years sending explosives, this is one performance Ted can't bomb. Written and performed by John Lampe and Michael Wysong, this new musical comedy dares to ask the question no one needed an answer to: What if this notorious eco-terrorist was the next Bob Fosse?
Cast/Crew:
Liz Power (director)
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KC FRINGE FESTIVAL
P.O. Box 415001
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Just saw this in NYC tonight and it was amazing 👏. Kudos.
Thank you very much!
This show is incredible! Saw it for the 3rd time on Saturday and had a blast. A must-see!
Thank you for joining us (three times already)!
Well written, well executed, and laugh out loud musical comedy.
Thank you, Jill! We appreciate you coming!
Not only is this musical hilarious but the 2 performers are also extremely talented musicians and singers! Everyone should see this laugh-out-loud performance!l
Thank you so much, Olivia! We appreciate you coming out to see the show and spreading the word!
* Rating – 4.5 out of 5
* 1-sentence review – Despite amateur acting and movement, this is a must see, two-person show for its brilliant musicianship and scriptwriting.
* 3-sentence review – As the audience becomes the parole board considering bailout for a terrorist, this mentally twisting and turning tale puts a creative, magnificent lens on the power of an audience and how you believe, or not believe, a story. Although the acting and dancing may need improved sharpness, there is no lack of laughs, unfortunately tasteful historical lessons and references, and leaves you wondering how Bob Fossi could so tastefully teach people about bombs. You must go to ask questions, and you’ll leave with being able to sell the show on merits of goofiness, absurdity, and masterful composition craftsmanship.
Thank you, Skippy! So happy that you got to see the show and so lovely to meet you at the Fringe. Keep up the good work!
A complete delight in every way and a must see at the festival!
Thank you, Derek! And thank you for all that you did to make the KC Fringe an awesome experience! (That includes your karaoke rendition of “Hungry Heart”!)
A MUST SEE at the Fringe. It was not what I was expecting but that’s because there is no way to expect what you will get. Their talent is impeccable, the story is enlightening while being entertaining. Many shocked laughs, the audience was either grinning, laughing or gaping with shocked enjoyment. Go with friends. It’s wild and weird and a great case against AI. Only these minds could devise this experience.
Thank you Laura! We really appreciate you coming and we’ll cosign on that case against AI!
Don’t sleep on this! The TUNEabomber entertains and definitely surprises! Excellent vocals and piano. Expect creative character portrayals and “oh-yes, there’s the real Ted K.” revelations! We were swept away into a nonsensical-yet-believable universe of the creators’ imagination while receiving a mini history lesson on an infamous eco-terrorist.
Thank you, Lisa! “Nonsensical-yet-believable” might just be the best description we’ve heard of our show so far!
If you’re like me, you saw the name and initially thought “oh, that’s a bit tasteless…” But after reading these other reviews, I gave it a chance. I’m so glad I did! Two incredibly witty and talented performers put on a darkly funny musical comedy. That Fosse cameo…oh my, I was unprepared 🤣
It’s perhaps helpful to know the broad strokes of the Unibomber’s crimes, but cultural osmosis will get you through it even if you haven’t specifically read/heard about him. Just…go check it out! You know you want to!
Thank you, Andi! We’re glad that you came out to see us, despite the oddness of the source material. Thanks for giving us a chance and thanks for spreading the word!
Very talented musicians and a wildly funny script make for a delightful hour.
Saw this show in Kansas City, and I loved it! These actors are talented, funny, and poignant. I can’t believe they made me interested in a character from our collective history of whackos who subject the world to murderous insanity. I was sad when you both took the final bow, and I realized the show was over. It was that good!
Thank you, Jean!
Wonderful! Despite the weirdness of the situation, the 2 men did a fabulous job of making something so weird to be humorous, sad, a little spooky, and even adding in some good music/dance, and overall, greatly entertaining.
Thank you for joining us, Janet!
BRILLANT!!
Highly entertaining and smart history of Teddy!
Thank you, Ellen! We’re glad that you came out to join us for this wacky little show.
This show was well done. Great acting , story telling, and talented singing. This play was about the Unabomber, I disagree with some of the other reviews. The two playwrights/performers were amazing at telling Ted’s story through music. There were definitely a lot of funny lines sprinkled throughout the show, but I did not see it as a comedy. The dominant thread of the play was a focus on the Ted’s mental illness and included how part of his mental illness was a reaction to abuse as a child by one of his teachers.
I was unable to talk to the two playwrights after the show, so I am interested in knowing how much of the story is true and how much is not true, specifically was all or the majority of the play based on research that they did?
For those that have not kept up with recent developments. Ted died in prison at the age of 81 in June of this year. I am curious if the playwrights were already working and/or performing this play prior to Ted’s death.
Thank you, Craig! Sorry that we didn’t get a chance to talk in person, but I’ll try to answer your questions here. We always say that, except for anything having to do with show business, everything in this story is true. From the family life in Illinois, to Harvard and the experiments there, then to Michigan, California, Montana, etc.; that all happened! But no Bob Fosse visions (at least as far as we know).
Over the last few years, we did a lot of research into Ted, his crimes, his life, and his family. Luckily for us, there’s no lack of reading material, documentaries, fictionalized accounts, and even Ted’s own writings. The hardest part ended up being that we’d do so much research that we had to remind ourselves we weren’t writing a straightforward depiction of his life. It’s a musical, after all!
We have been working on this show, off and on, for about 4 years. So Ted’s recent death did lead to us doing a fast and furious rewrite, which mostly affected the end of the show and where Ted ends up when all is said and done.
Thank you for your insightful questions and thanks for joining us at the show!