My Name is Gideon: I’m Probably Going to Die, Eventually – Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, New York City

Writer: Gideon Irving
Director: Ewen Wright
Reviewer: Adrienne Sowers

Gideon Irving has made a name as a global troubadour, traveling by various methods to homes across the world, entertaining families and their friends in salon-style sessions in their living room. In My Name is Gideon: I’m Probably Going to Die, Eventually, he brings his home to the stage and invites the audience to him.

The Rattlestick Playwrights Theater is a warm, welcoming, immersive environment created by Silovsky Studios, and one cannot help but feel a personal guest of Irving’s, becoming more engaged as the show unfolds.

Irving carries the energy of a one-man, nearly two-hour show with no intermission, with laser sharp focus and deliberate storytelling. He makes it feel so natural and effortless that the evening is more like one spent with a dear friend in their home telling you anecdotes, than a one-man show in a theatre in the West Village of New York City. Irving sings songs, tells tales, gives a tour of his onstage home, and introduces his family and friends, all the while creating a communal sense of joy that is all-encompassing and stays with his guests long after they leave.

Delightful surprises and fantastic music support the magic Irving spins. One surprise turns into a song, which folds into a story, which intersects with another, creating a brilliant, sparkling web of joy. This is a piece that earns rapt attention and investment without ever demanding it, embracing guests of the Rattlestick Theater into a world driven by music, creativity, and love.

Runs until 11 December 2016