By Melissa Griegel . . .
Veteran Actor/Comedian/Storyteller David Dean Bottrell (Modern Family, Boston Legal) is doing a residency at The Triad Theater on 72nd, with Wednesday night performances running through June 1st at 7 pm. This acclaimed storytelling show first took root ten years ago at the Rogue Machine Theatre in Los Angeles. It has since been revised and updated and in 2020 was recorded as an audio book by Random House. He is also the author of “Working Actor: Breaking In, Making a Living and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business” published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House.
Bottrell dives in at the start with a humorous personal anecdote about blowjobs, letting you know right from the start that this show is for adults-only, it is raw and real, and yes, he is a gay man looking for love. Raised in Kentucky in an Evangelical Christian Household, being his authentic self was not an option. He took off to find his way in Texas at the tender age of 19 where he began exploring his sexuality and meeting a bevy of characters with whom he had many trials and tribulations.
He tells all of these personal dating and self-exploration earnestly with humor, comedic timing, and sometimes unexpected punch lines. The stories that span his lifetime are interspersed with quick Match.com profile and dating bits. The packed room clearly had many audience members who related to internet dating tales, and seemed to laugh especially hard at these interludes.
The show is perfectly staged with lighting cues that fit the storytelling. Like so many in the room, Bottrell has spent many hours on a therapist’s couch. “I put a new wing on my therapist’s house talking about my father,” he quipped. As Bottrell examines his life, he finds the funniest parts of every situation, including bad dates, trips home to the family, and even picking out a casket for his mother. The comedic storyteller waxed poetic at the end of the show. “For love to be real, it must hurt. It has to be like a boomerang so that when it comes back to you, and you recognize it, you can hold it in you hand.” He says, “Love rolls over us and changes our plans and turns us into people we thought we would never be.”
For an enjoyable evening out, filled with uproarious laughter, purchase tickets for an upcoming show here: https://triadnyc.com/shows.cfm
Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography
