'Can I Be Frank?' Off-Broadway review — a delightful, insightful trip through queer comedy history
Read our review of Can I Be Frank? off Broadway, a new solo show written and performed by Morgan Bassichis in tribute to the late comedian Frank Maya.
In a world of coy influencers and celebrities pretending to be surprised by their fame, it’s refreshing to see a performer who owns their unabashed desire to be noticed. Comedian Morgan Bassichis wants two things from Can I Be Frank?, their solo show at SoHo Playhouse: for you to learn who the late Frank Maya is (but not to know as much about him as Bassichis does, because that’s kind of their thing), and to get a streaming deal to pay the bills while they dig into their next esoteric project.
Directed by Oh, Mary! Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton (and featuring a post-mortem suggestion from Maya that Cole Escola play the title role instead), Can I Be Frank? is part rant, part monologue and song, and part plea for attention from Bassichis as he dives into Maya's career. Maya was a performance artist, comedian, and singer/songwriter whose eclecticism didn’t just reflect a wide array of talents, but also a yearning for success.
He was among the first openly gay men to have a televised comedy special and was about to cross over into mainstream stardom, Bassichis assures us, when he died of AIDS. (“I may be the first gay person to speak about AIDS, at least in a play,” Bassichis quips near the top of the show.) Maya’s death wasn’t just unfair because of America’s cruel mishandling of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; it was unfair because he was just about to become rich and famous like Liberace, dammit!
Bassichis is at their best when they transition seamlessly from a modern examination of their love life to Maya’s own words on dating in an epidemic. Maya refused to apologize or equivocate about his life and identity, and Bassichis refuses to apologize about using Maya’s persona as a vehicle for fame. The framing is both tongue-in-cheek and screaming out loud, but Bassichis delivers an evening of highbrow comedy that won’t soon be lost to the archives.
Can I Be Frank? summary
Can I Be Frank? is a solo show written and performed by Morgan Bassichis that explores the career and legacy of Frank Maya, a comedian and performance artist who died of AIDS in 1995. Bassichis is fascinated by Maya’s, well, frank sense of humor and uses archival material of Maya's to dive into their own comedy and neuroses.
What to expect at Can I Be Frank?
Can I Be Frank? runs approximately 70 minutes and is performed without an intermission. The show features explicit discussions of sex, homophobia, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
What audiences are saying about Can I Be Frank?
Can I Be Frank? has an audience approval rating of 95% on the review aggregator Show-Score out of four reviews, but theatregoers have also taken to social media to praise the solo performance.
- Show-Score user jerry 3 says that Bassichis “gives one of the best performances on stage right now.”
- X user @madladycaveman describes Can I Be Frank? thus: “1000/10: perfect, ripe, elegant, and seriously funny.”
- Show-Score user Paula B2 calls the show “a true tour-de-force” that made her want to learn more about Frank Maya.
Read more audience reviews of Can I Be Frank? on Show-Score.
Who should see Can I Be Frank?
- Anyone who enjoys the downtown NYC theatre scene will appreciate Can I Be Frank? as its own entry that also serves up a slice of New York indie theatre and activist history.
- Fans of Oh, Mary! (and who isn’t one?) will want to check out director Sam Pinkleton’s latest project.
- If you frequent stand-up venues, you’ll enjoy Bassichis’s blend of stand-up, performance art, and theatre history lecture.
Learn more about Can I Be Frank? off Broadway
Though the show’s ends on a slightly self-important note, Can I Be Frank? is a delightful and insightful jaunt through gay comedy history that shows off Bassichis’s range as a comedian and performer.
Photo credit: Morgan Bassichis in Can I Be Frank? off Broadway. (Photos by Emilio Madrid)
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