About the Show

A campy, gothic coming-of-age story about identity-consumption and the fear of not knowing yourself.

In this hallucinatory solo show, a genderqueer teenager who goes missing and their gay detective father go toe-to-toe with the supernatural and consciousness-devouring Theda Bara, the vamp and silent movie star from the 1920’s.

Starring David Greenspan, written by Joey Merlo, and directed by Jack Serio.

Critic Reviews (8)

" 'On Set With Theda Bara' is a solo performer’s fever dream"
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"...watching 'On Set With Theda Bara' can be confounding, even alienating at times."
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"I can't help thinking: Wouldn't David Greenspan make a fantastic Norma Desmond?"
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"We were in a good mood; we were about to encounter David Greenspan."
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"...is a theatrical rocket convulsing with pathos, paranormal menace, and campy mischief."
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David Greenspan performs brilliantly in this campy melodrama.
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For a previous production

“...I can’t say I know what playwright Merlo is entirely on about. Surely, he’s fascinated with the ‘Theda Bara’ mystique, an obsession not a large percentage of the population is nowadays”
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For a previous production

David Greenspan, the shape-shifting thespian, has taken on yet another multi-character play, as if his one-man "Strange Interlude" and his more recent "Four Saints in Three Acts" whet his appetite for Joey Merlo’s "On Set with Theda Bara," a mysterious take on the life of the silent picture era vamp and her intrusion into a family whose lives become a film noir. Directed smartly by Jack Serio, the surreal play, just one hour long, took the audience on a colorful journey that included a truly spooky séance.
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Cast and creative team

Lucille Lortel Theatre