David Copperfield
By Dickens Around Productions
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Company Name: Dickens Around Productions
City/State: Kansas City, MO
Genre: Comedy, Theatre
Ratings: Parental Guidance
Premiere: Yes
Warnings: Adult Language, Violence
Venue: The Black Box
Show Times:
7:30 PM Friday, July 19
1:30 PM Saturday, July 20
9:00 PM Sunday, July 21
6:00 PM Thursday, July 25
10:30 PM Saturday, July 27
Description:
Charles Dickens penned a Queer-Coded Quest of self-awakening when he wrote David Copperfield — and Will Porter brings it to life with a few props, much chaos, and zero top hats! David was raised by FABULOUS women — his young widowed mother, his shrewd housekeeper Peggotty, and an aunt as fiery as Angela Bassett herself. But when David’s mother meets a handsome but tempestuous suitor, what follows is a harrowing tale of survival, found family, and forbidden gay teenage romance!!!
“Centering primarily on the relationship between Copperfield and his mother… Will Porter rapturously embodies Dickens’ characters with nothing more than his talent … and we lap it up!”
-Eddie Korbich, Broadway’s The Little Mermaid, Gentleman’s Guide, and more.
"Dickens and his contemporaries did not necessarily conceive of heterosexual bonds as the primary determinant of marital choice. They were energetic in their efforts to construct actual and fictional families which consolidated and sustained homoeroticism. To recognize this is to give up long-cherished beliefs about the inherently socially transgressive nature of same-sex desire, and to thus reconstrue the Victorian family as a site of queer possibility.”
-Holly Furneaux, Queer Dickens
Cast/Crew:
Will Porter - David & Everyone Else
Vanessa Severo - Director
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OUR SPONSORS
Missouri Arts Council
Theater League
Arts KC
NTDF
henderson
VMA
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P.O. Box 415001
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Exceptional energetic performance that is both laugh-out-loud hilarious and deeply touching! A must-see!
Excellent display of talent and history in this one man show.
Highly effective, entertaining and moving!
Will Porter and Vanessa Severo are both enormous talents – acting, writing, directing- and this show is absolute proof of that.
The play demands the audience pay attention – no passivity allowed, effort is required. But what’s on the stage is such a complete payoff.
A most engaging riff on David Copperfield by Matt Porter who captures Dickens’ hilarity and heartbreak. Great fun!
This show was brilliantly conceived, written, and performed. It was full of heart, humor, and intentionality and I enjoyed every moment!
A very creative and artist centered show! Moving story, great storyteller, and great audience interaction! This story sparked so much joy and inspiration in me- mostly because of the amazing storyteller. Must see!
BRILLIANT! The comical, heartfelt, whimsical brainchild of a PHENOMENAL artist and creative. The best fringe show I have seen so far! Will Porter is brilliant. Not to be missed!! GO, GO GO!!
An absolute joy! The acting, writing, and directing make for an effective piece from start to finish. It was a joy to see rapid fire storytelling in such a cohesive experience!
A hilarious exploration of a classic Dickens work from an angle that delves into what many have speculated about Dickens himself. It toes the creative/academic line that many MFA performance theses do, but victoriously emerges as a production rather than a lecture. It’s well thought out, energetic, dynamic and moving! Go see this one!!
Simultaneously funny, heart-wrenching, and impressive, Will Porter, with minimal tools, creates a nuanced world and sheds new light on a Victorian story, challenging us to read between the lines. Highly recommended!
This work is a marvel—and all-around masterpiece!
Thank you, Will Porter and Vanessa Severo!
A highly funny and interactive show. Every character that Will played was clear and a blast to watch!
A funny, moving and virtuosic piece! I was delightfully engaged in this whirlwind of a story. Porter and Severo have adapted Dicken’s classic into a modern, authentic, personal tale. Can’t wait to see more from this team!
Will is absolutely amazing, energetic, hilarious, and engaging!
Love how he interacts with the audience and the props and costumes are spot on!
Wonderful job Will and Vanessa!
This is a must see production!!
Delightful one Man Show!
Will has several outfit changes and even wears a bonnet for this fast paced updated retelling of a litererary classic. He even included the audience into the show!
Will Porter weaves together a queer-eyed retelling of David Copperfield in this fantastic one man show directed by the incomparable Vanessa Severo. Porter is able to seamlessly integrate moments that are both heartbreaking and hilarious with his impeccable comedic timing and his amazing acting chops. For those of us who long to see stories about our LGBTQ+ ancestors and for those who just want to see a stellar version of David Copperfield without reading all 600+ pages of it, Porter’s show is a must-see during the Fringe Festival.
A unique retelling of the David Copperfield story. Guess what? It’s not about a magician. Will’s performance is endearing and hilarious. Audience participation takes the show up a level. It really showcases Will’s comedy chops. Go see the show. You will be so glad you did.
What an exceptional display of true theatre play! This one man show is engaging, endearing, and energetic. Well done!
From first introduction until final bow, the energy and love that Will brings to this material is ever-present. The way he embodied a few characters in particular had me in stitches! ‘David Copperfield’ is one of my top Recommends for this season so far, especially to any Fringe-goers who also enjoy Tim Mooney’s “Breakneck” series (also at this year’s festival)!
One note on the Content Warning: The “Violence” tag is specifically a few depictions of child abuse, juuuuuuuuuuust abstract enough (it is a one-man show, after all) that most audience members likely won’t have trouble watching it, but if you’re acutely sensitive to such content then just be aware before you get there!
I loved this! Will was awesome! What an actor and as presence! For some reason, I was mixing David Copperfield up with Great Expectations in my head, the latter of which I’ve read, and the former of which I haven’t, and after a few minutes of trying to figure out where Pip and Ms. Havesham were, I realized I was thinking of the wrong book. But not to fear! I was still entertained without this foreknowledge, and now I feel as if I know David Copperfield (and his crush) quite well! Glad I trusted these reviews and made the trip to the Black Box. You should too!
A great one man show! Will does a beautiful job of seamlessly transitioning from one character to the next, from one moment to the next, piecing together a touching coming of age story about being queer. Sprinkled throughout are some incredible theatrical moments, crafted with minimal sets and costumes. A must see in my opinion!
Incredible performance. Brave and heartwarming. Wonderful form of self-exploration and passionate storytelling.
A wonderful production! Will is a one of a kind storyteller. So captivating, authentic, and fun to watch. Go see him perform while KC still has him!
Strong Talent & Quality Direction & Production Value Throughout.
It’s def worthy of a Fringe circuit tour.
This is a very nice show, nicely conceived and acted with great skill. It’s one of the best, perhaps the best, of the Fringe shows we’ve seen.