When Dave Droxler was eight, he lost his charismatic and enveloping Italian grandfather, a strong empowering presence with a big personality, who was always there to bolster the shy youngster. Losing his Grandfather suddenly, Droxler found the perfect surrogate in the frenzied bigger-than-life incarnation “Mork” of “Mork & Mindy” Star – Robin Williams.
We open on a stage as wonderfully cluttered as we imagine the recesses of Mr. Droxler’s hyper active imagination. A comfy couch, show-biz lit vanity, a cacophony of personal nick-nacks, racks of outfits and mementos.
Strings of sodium lights strobing above stage and firing like synapses as he morphs through Robin Willams vast characters and personas during the wonderfully briskly paced show, directed by Chad Austin and written and performed by Mr. Droxler.
Growing up in working class Philadelphia, Droxler’s imaginary Robin surrogate ultimately supplemented his core need for his emotionally distant father and combated the anxiety stirred by his well meaning, but overprotective mother both of which Mr.Droxler also performed.
His knowledge and thirst for learning all he could about his stand-in emotional support comedian grows and evolves as his character ages on stage and his emotional need for Robin (and others) follows suit. Mr. Droxler is a chamelon, crafting his poignantly funny and unflinching tale through improvisational alchemy.
The truth of “tears of a clown”, Smokey Robinson’s song based on the Italian opera Pagliacci, about a clown who must make the audience laugh while he weeps behind his makeup, was resonant here. Droxler studied his hero Robin, also a “sad clown” the realization that inner strength tempered by tragedy and humor is both salve and savior, is showcased brilliantly.
Mr. Droxler impishly delights heckling the audience at random in his “Robin” persona to raucous effect.
Mr. Droxler fantastically mirrored Willams adept use of improv and spontaneous audience interaction which earned some of the biggest belly laughs from the audience I was part of!
At one point after missing a line, breaking the fourth wall, he decries “I’ve had three shows today!” to cheers from the crowd.
Watching Droxler channel Willams one-of-a-kind stand up one minute then being brought nearly to tears the next as he navigates his life’s tragedies, heartaches and insecurities, kept me on the edge of my seat.
At one point, his echoing the verbal abuse his father used on him was sobering, disturbing and rang so true.
His documenting leaning on Robin to weather his storms and unflinchingly sharing his story is a triumph of the spirit.
Mining humor from the absurdities of existence and both internal and external struggles empowered Droxler to a point where Robin’s spirt, though ever present, is a guide and no longer taking center stage in his life.
Ironically, the fact that he takes us all along on his journey, from his vulnerable childhood to the center of this off-Broadway stage, I found poetic.
The bottom line is Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness is a great tribute to Robin Willams enduring legacy and a fresh, fantastic contribution to off Broadway theater that has to be experienced!
Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness will play a strictly limited engagement in Theatre 4 at Theatre Row, starting April 15th, with opening night set for April 20th, and performances continuing through May 14, 2023.
The creative team includes Dawn Chiang (lighting design), Yi-Hsuan (Ant) Ma (set design), and Deb Gaouette (props design), with Allison Hohman serving as stage manager and Hannah Sgambellone serving as production manager.
Abingdon Theatre Company is continuing to work towards their goal of making theatre accessible for all and will be offering $30 tickets throughout the entire run in honor of their 30th anniversary season.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Supporting The Lewy Body Dementia Resource Center
Robin Williams is still highly regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time. As an actor and stand up comedian he was known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film in dramas & comedies alike.
After suffering for many years from depression, paranoia, memory loss and insomnia, Williams died by suicide. Robin Williams had undiagnosed Lewy body dementia…an important fact he never knew.
Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the second most common form of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease and affects more than 1.4 million Americans.
It is widely misdiagnosed, as it can mimic Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or a psychiatric disorder because there are overlapping symptoms. The Lewy Body Dementia Resource Center (LBDRC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York, exists to raise crucially needed awareness of this neurodegenerative brain disease, offer loving support and services to people living with LBD and their care partners, and promote scientific advances. To find resources on LBD and more about LBDRC, visit their website.
Art credit – Abingdon Theatre Company
