In the 50s & 60s, during the Cold War nuclear panic, mathematician TOM LEHRER became an international, comedy sensation. He sang twisted tunes & satirized war, pornography, race, kink, death, religion, the environment, education & politics. With a side order of “Elements” of course. Tom was listed in the same TIME magazine article along with his cohort LENNY BRUCE about a new type of comedian, the SICKNIK.
He inspired the likes of Bo Burnham, Flight of the Conchords, and “Weird Al” to name a few.
Comedian and actor ALLAN MURRAY tickles the ivories and brings TOM and his acid-tinged ditties to life.
“His brilliance has inspired hero worship among several generations of fans of satire & funny music.”
-“Weird Al” Yankovic
In the 50s and 60s during the Cold War nuclear panic, mathematician Tom Lehrer became an international comedy sensation as he sang twisted tunes that satirized war, pornography, race, kink, death, religion, the environment, education and politics. His comedic style got Tom listed in the same Time Magazine article along with his cohort Lenny Bruce about a new type of comedian, the "SICKNIK." Lehrer inspired the likes of Bo Burnham, Flight of the Conchords, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and "Weird Al" to name a few. So as a fan of Lehrer's creative musical musings for many years. So I decided to chat with comedian and actor Allan Murray who tickles the ivories and brings Lehrer and his acid-tinged ditties to life during this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival in his World Premiere of THE LAYERS OF Tom Lehrer.
Murray does not clutter the stage with excessive biographical tidbits, rather he chooses, wisely, to fill his stage time with a tasty medley of Lehrer’s toe tapping seditious tunes. A PLATINUM MEDAL!
When I found out that there was a show on Tom Lehrer I had to look him up. As I wasn’t familiar with him. After reading and seeing some of the videos I was excited to learn more about him and see how this was going to be presented in a solo performance.
Alan was captivating from the beginning. He is a very good actor and immediately went into character and told the story of this man who led the change in comedic history. Alan captured the emotions of the story and was always in character. To top it off, he’s a talented piano player who played all of his songs with the emotions of the theme of the song. You really felt that he brought out Tom Lehrers personality very well.
It was amazing theatre- singing, piano playing, storytelling - and tap dancing! The small 30 seat theatre was the perfect setting for this production. I’ll definitely be back and look for more shows starring Alan Murray .
I’m a fan of the few Lehrer songs that I know, so was looking forward to hearing more of his music. Not only did the show include a myriad of songs, but Allan Murray also portrayed Tom and told of his struggle behind the scenes. The two actually have a similar look! I liked the twist that this wasn’t just a song review. Also, I learned that Tom was an interesting man offstage as well. An intelligent yet fun and comedic night. The show finished at 60 minutes, but I could have kept watching. Full of mid-century hipness!
Thoroughly enjoyed this musical homage to Tom Lehrer by the delightfully talented Allan Murray! From Pigeons in the Park (my favorite) to Vatican Rag, Allan did a spectacular job highlighting Tom’s career through song on the piano, along with some clever tap dancing too! Bravo!
Omg, how wonderfully entertaining! Allan was amazing taking us on this journey through Tom's life through song, laughter and even a bit of tap dancing! You will get a kick out of all of the "Layers"! I loved it and you will too!
A thoughtful, informative and FUN "play" on truly, The Layers of Tom Lehrer.
Allan Murray takes it to a higher level than just a simple tribute to Tom Lehrer and gets right down to the essence of the man. All the while keeping the tone light and fun, and, irreverent Lehrer. Also, not a bad tap dancer.
In the 50s and 60s during the Cold War nuclear panic, mathematician Tom Lehrer became an international comedy sensation as he sang twisted tunes that satirized war, pornography, race, kink, death, religion, the environment, education and politics. His comedic style got Tom listed in the same Time Magazine article along with his cohort Lenny Bruce about a new type of comedian, the "SICKNIK." Lehrer inspired the likes of Bo Burnham, Flight of the Conchords, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and "Weird Al" to name a few. So as a fan of Lehrer's creative musical musings for many years. So I decided to chat with comedian and actor Allan Murray who tickles the ivories and brings Lehrer and his acid-tinged ditties to life during this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival in his World Premiere of THE LAYERS OF Tom Lehrer.
Murray does not clutter the stage with excessive biographical tidbits, rather he chooses, wisely, to fill his stage time with a tasty medley of Lehrer’s toe tapping seditious tunes. A PLATINUM MEDAL!
When I found out that there was a show on Tom Lehrer I had to look him up. As I wasn’t familiar with him. After reading and seeing some of the videos I was excited to learn more about him and see how this was going to be presented in a solo performance.
Alan was captivating from the beginning. He is a very good actor and immediately went into character and told the story of this man who led the change in comedic history. Alan captured the emotions of the story and was always in character. To top it off, he’s a talented piano player who played all of his songs with the emotions of the theme of the song. You really felt that he brought out Tom Lehrers personality very well.
It was amazing theatre- singing, piano playing, storytelling - and tap dancing! The small 30 seat theatre was the perfect setting for this production. I’ll definitely be back and look for more shows starring Alan Murray .
I’m a fan of the few Lehrer songs that I know, so was looking forward to hearing more of his music. Not only did the show include a myriad of songs, but Allan Murray also portrayed Tom and told of his struggle behind the scenes. The two actually have a similar look! I liked the twist that this wasn’t just a song review. Also, I learned that Tom was an interesting man offstage as well. An intelligent yet fun and comedic night. The show finished at 60 minutes, but I could have kept watching. Full of mid-century hipness!
Thoroughly enjoyed this musical homage to Tom Lehrer by the delightfully talented Allan Murray! From Pigeons in the Park (my favorite) to Vatican Rag, Allan did a spectacular job highlighting Tom’s career through song on the piano, along with some clever tap dancing too! Bravo!
Omg, how wonderfully entertaining! Allan was amazing taking us on this journey through Tom's life through song, laughter and even a bit of tap dancing! You will get a kick out of all of the "Layers"! I loved it and you will too!
A thoughtful, informative and FUN "play" on truly, The Layers of Tom Lehrer.
Allan Murray takes it to a higher level than just a simple tribute to Tom Lehrer and gets right down to the essence of the man. All the while keeping the tone light and fun, and, irreverent Lehrer. Also, not a bad tap dancer.
