Darwinii
Darwinii: The Comeuppance of Man
Created by Brett Keyser and playwright Glen Berger, this solo performance features Keyser in the role of Cristóbal, an Argentine man accused of various crimes, including stealing original Charles Darwin manuscripts from rare book libraries around the world. Why? Because he’s convinced he’s the great-great-great-great bastard grandson of the father of Natural Selection. As part of his sentence he must deliver a public apology, during which he digresses, with flamboyant intensity and bawdy humor, into the story of his life, growing up as an orphan in Tierra del Fuego and inadvertently becoming an expert Darwinologist (not to mention an international criminal), exploiting every opportunity to prove his pedigree (and make some money). The performance is a tango-tinged dance of life, a fresh take on some of Darwin’s ideas about the struggle for survival, sexual selection, the origin of species, and the descent of man.
“…the most entertaining and intellectually seductive theatrical piece I’ve seen this year in Philadelphia.” —Ed Weiner, former Seattle Times writer/reviewer
Darwinii evolved from an initial workshop of improvisation and interplay between Keyser, Berger, and Canadian fellow traveller Ker Wells. The creative team also includes Tracy Broyles of Spiral Q Puppet Theatre on props and costumes, and Laylage Courie of Brooklyn-based Luminous Work, providing the voice of a fictional Darwin scholar.
Darwinii was commissioned by and originally performed at the American Philosophical Society (APS) Museum, and was supported in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. The sold-out premiere run was selected by the Philadelphia Weekly as one of the top eleven shows of the 2009 Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe.
Survival of the “Fittest”
An excerpt from Darwinii: The Comeuppance of Man
Video and stills by Greenhouse Media
The Portable Darwinii
Darwinii is currently available for touring. For booking information please contact nightjarapothecary (at) gmail (dot) com. Right-click the image below to download the 300dpi press photo.
Press Photo Credit: Frank Margeson
