A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including autobiographical creations, comedy acts, novel adaptations, vaudeville, poetry, music and dance. In 1996, Rob Becker's ''

Defending the Caveman ''Defending the Caveman'' is a comedy play written by American actor and comedian Rob Becker about the misunderstandings between men and women. ''Defending the Caveman'' has been seen in theaters around the world by more than eight million peopl ...

'' became the longest running solo (one man) play in the history of Broadway.

Traits of solo performance

Solo performance is used to encompass the broad term of a single person performing for an audience. Some key traits of solo performance can include the lack of the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

and audience participation or involvement. Solo performance does not need to be written, performed and produced by a single person—a solo performance production may use directors, writers, designers and composers to bring the piece to life on a stage. An example of this collaboration is

Eric Bogosian Eric Bogosian ( hy, Էրիկ Բոգոսյան; ; born April 24, 1953) is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and a ...

in the published version of his show ''Wake Up And Smell the Coffee'', by

Theatre Communications Group Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is a non-profit service organization headquartered in New York City that promotes professional non-profit theatre in the United States. The organization also publishes ''American Theatre'' magazine and ''ARTSEA ...

, New York City.

History

It is assumed that individuals have told stories in front of other members of their tribe or society for thousands of years. They would have orally passed down many of today's

myths Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

and

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

s in this manner. So it is a style of performance that has been with us for generations developing through theatrical people such as

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Monologists, the strolling

Minstrels A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in Middle Ages, medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobatics, acrobat, singer or jester, fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to ...

Medieval England England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the medieval period, from the end of the 5th century through to the start of the Early Modern period in 1485. When England emerged from the collapse of the Roman Empire, the econ ...

and the French

Troubadors A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

both lectured and recited poetry as a platform performer between 1843 and 1849; his performances stand as a paradigm of the solo performance hybrid simply called "the lecture-recital". The reading tours of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

in Britain and America between 1858 and 1870 created a sensation. His American tour of 1867–68 was unparalleled until the arrival of the Beatles in the early 1960s. Solo performance enjoyed an unprecedented artistic and commercial vogue in the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century (John S. Gentile Calls it the golden age of platform performance). Literary historians often associate the

Victorian period In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian ...

with the highest development of the dramatic monologue as a poetic form. There were several discussions about the importance and distinction between the literary monologue and the performance monologue during the nineteenth century, however, this discussions confirms a continuous interchange between literature and performance, which may at times appear competitive but is more often productive. By the time the United States entered the 20th century, the number and variety of professional solo performances presented throughout the country had grown large. This renaissance of solo performance also created ripples in the larger sense of American theatre; after this "boom" of the one man show had passed, the presentational style seeped into popular theatre productions such as ''Amadeus'', ''Equus'', and ''Evita'' among others, modeling a combination of representational theatricality and presentational, direct-address style. By the 1960s, the term performance art became popular and involved any number of performance acts or

happenings A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow during the 1950s to describe a range of art-related events. History Origins Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happen ...

, as they were known. Many performers, like

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

, developed through these happenings and are still performing today.

Types and examples of solo performances

The backgrounds of solo performers over the decades range from

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, comedy, poetry, music, the visual arts,

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

, theatre and dance. Solo performers include Rob Becker,

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the varie ...

Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes b ...

, Rod Maxwell, Lord Buckley,

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

Jade Esteban Estrada Jade Esteban Estrada (born September 17, 1975) is an American singer, actor, stand-up comedian, journalist and human rights activist. ''Out Magazine'' called him "the first gay Latin star." Biography Born to David Gonzales Estrada and Aurora ( ...

Eddie Izzard Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's stand- ...

John Leguizamo John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (; ; born July 22, 196013:04) is an American actor, comedian, and film producer. He has appeared in over 100 films, produced over 20 films and documentaries, made over 30 television appearances, and has produced ...

Marga Gomez Marga Gomez is a comedian, writer, performer, and teaching artist from Harlem, New York. She has written and performed in thirteen solo plays which have been presented nationally and internationally. Her acting credits include Off-Broadway and na ...

Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in '' The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in the Showtime series ''N ...

Bill Hicks William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—wa ...

Brother Blue Hugh Morgan Hill (July 12, 1921 – November 3, 2009) who performed as Brother Blue, was an American educator, storytelling, storyteller, actor, musician, and street performer based principally in the Boston area. After serving as First Lieut ...

and Lenny Bruce. Several performers have presented solo shows in tribute to famous personalities. The blueprint for this type of show may have been drafted by

Hal Holbrook Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called '' Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...

, who has performed as Mark Twain in his solo show, ''

Mark Twain Tonight Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...

'', more than 2,000 times since 1954. Examples since that time include

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary stage work, she received five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play. Harris debuted on Broadway in 1945, against the wish ...

in the

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

biography, ''

The Belle of Amherst ''The Belle of Amherst'' is a one-woman play by William Luce. Based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson from 1830 to 1886, and set in her Amherst, Massachusetts home, the 1976 play makes use of her work, diaries, and letters to recollect her en ...

'';

Tovah Feldshuh Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for more than four decades, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations f ...

as Golda Meir in ''

Golda's Balcony ''Golda's Balcony'' is a play by William Gibson. It follows the trajectory of the life of Golda Meir from Russian immigrant to American schoolteacher to a leader of international politics as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Much of its fo ...

''; Frank Gorshin as

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

in '' Say Goodnight Gracie'' by

Rupert Holmes David Goldstein (born February 24, 1947), better known as Rupert Holmes, is a British-American composer, singer-songwriter, dramatist and author. He is widely known for the hit singles "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (1979) and " Him" (1980). ...

;

Ed Metzger Edward Metzger (born January 23, 1936) is an American actor and writer. Metzger is known for portrayals of famous men in history. He has portrayed Albert Einstein live on stage for over 30 years in his one-man show, '' Albert Einstein: The Practic ...

in his solo show, performing since 1978, '' Albert Einstein: The Practical Bohemian''; Metzger in another solo performance, '' Hemingway: On the Edge'';

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

Clarence Darrow Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the early 20th century for his involvement in the Leopold and Loeb murder trial and the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. He was a leading member of t ...

in ''Darrow'',

Ronald Rand Ronald Rand is an American stage and film actor, educator, director, playwright, librettist, producer, and newspaper publisher. A U.S. Cultural Goodwill Ambassador, founder and publisher of the newspaper, The Soul of the American Actor, he is a ...

Harold Clurman Harold Edgar Clurman (September 18, 1901 – September 9, 1980) was an American theatre director and drama critic. In 2003, he was named one of the most influential figures in U.S. theater by PBS.

in '' Let It Be Art!'' since 2001 in 25 countries, and Tom Dugan as

Simon Wiesenthal Simon Wiesenthal (31 December 190820 September 2005) was a Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor, Nazi hunter, and writer. He studied architecture and was living in Lwów at the outbreak of World War II. He survived the Janowska concentration ...

in ''Wiesenthal''. A few actors adapted entire novels for the stage including

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...

who played all 43 parts in his version of '' A Christmas Carol'', which played three times on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and at

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

in London; actor

Gerald Charles Dickens Admiral Sir Gerald Louis Charles Dickens (13 October 1879 – 19 November 1962) was a senior Royal Navy officer and the grandson of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens. Early life and career Born in Kensington, London, Dickens was the son of ...

played 26 characters in his performances from the same work; and

Jack Aranson Jack Aranson (29 December 1924 – 3 January 2008) was an American actor, trained in Ireland and England, noted for acting in many Shakespeare plays and several one-man shows. He was one of the last actor/managers, creating and managing several sm ...

starred in a solo, 13-character production of ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...

''. Solo performance may be personal, autobiographical creations. This ranges from the intensely confessional but comedic work of Spalding Gray, the semi-autobiographical '' A Bronx Tale'' by Chaz Palminteri, or Holly Hughes' solo piece ''World without End,'' in which she attempts to make sense of her relationship with her mother, who had died. Another example of this is ''In The Body of the World,'' written and performed by Eve Ensler in 2018. Still other shows may rally around a central theme, such as pop culture in Pat Hazel's ''The Wonderbread Years'', relationships in Robert Dubac's ''The Male Intellect'', the history of the New York City transit system in Mike Daisey's ''Invincible Summer'', or fighting the system in Patrick Combs' ''Man 1, Bank 0''. these themes could also be centered around a certain topic such as a political or social issue. Tim Miller explores the topic of gay culture and society surrounding the LGBTQ community in his production of ''My Queer Body''. Karen Finley expressed her frustration with the standards women are held to and the issues surrounding them such as rape and abortion in her solo piece titled ''We Keep Our Victims Ready''. Sometimes, solo shows are simply traditional plays written by playwrights for a cast of one. Examples: ''

Shirley Valentine ''Shirley Valentine'' is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad. Plot Wondering what has ...

'' by

Willy Russell William Russell (born 23 August 1946) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are ''Educating Rita'', ''Shirley Valentine'', '' Blood Brothers'' and ''Our Day Out''. Early life Russell was born in Whiston, Lancash ...

, ''

I Am My Own Wife ''I Am My Own Wife'' is a play by Doug Wright based on his conversations with the German antiquarian Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. The one-man play premiered Off-Broadway in 2003 at Playwrights Horizons. It opened on Broadway later that year. The p ...

'' by

Doug Wright Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''. Early years Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...

, ''The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead'' by Robert Hewett and ''Topless (stage play), Topless'' by Miles Tredinnick. A performer of shows of this type is Chris Harris (actor), Chris Harris, whose performances in the genre include ''Kemp's Jig'', ''That's The Way To Do It!'', ''Ally Sloper's Half Holiday'', ''Beemaster'', Arris Music 'All'' and ''A Night at the Pantomime''. There have also been many British comedians who have moved away from performing pure stand-up comedy in recent years. The shows that appear annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can involve stories of pathos and the use of technological equipment such as Image projector, projectors. Examples include Howard Read, who has performed with the animated character Little Howard which was projected with the aid of computers and Dave Gorman, who has performed several shows described as "documentary comedy".

Solo performance in film

The first full-length talking film which showed only a single character was ''Sofi'', a 1968 film starring Tom Troupe. The film was based on "Diary of a Madman (Nikolai Gogol), Diary of a Madman" by Gogol. The 1964 Hindi movie Yaadein (1964 film), Yaadein also featured only Sunil Dutt, but Nargis Dutt made a few appearances ''as a silhouette''. However, it still made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for the "fewest actors in a narrative film". Secret Honor, a 1984 film about Richard Nixon with Philip Baker Hall as the disgraced President ruminating on his past. In the 21st century the "solo performance" had a rejuvenation period with films like ''Locke (film), Locke'', ''All Is Lost'' and ''Buried (film), Buried''. The characteristics were different from the previous one-character films that were made – mainly by location and style. Sofi and works like ''Give 'em Hell, Harry!'', were still studio-filmed theater pieces. The 21st-century films were mostly shot on location and were much more stylized with their cinematic expression and camera usage. Most recently films by Marcus Tell showed ongoing characteristics of one-character films.

Productions and solo performers/writers

*Chazz Palminteri: A Bronx Tale *Rob Becker:

*Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: ''Diary of a Madman'' *Anton Chekhov: ''On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco'' *Rebecca Clarke: ''Unspoken (play), Unspoken'' *Arnold Schoenberg: ''Erwartung'' *

: ''Freak; Latin History for Morons'' *David Serero (singer), David Serero: ''Christmas for Jews; I, Napoleon'' * Eve Ensler: ''In the Body of the World'' *Daniel Beaty: ''Emergency'' *

: ''Let It Be Art!''

References

Resources

"Latin History for Morons." Broadway.com, www.broadway.com/shows/latin-history-moron/. "In the Body of the world." In the Body of the World, Manhattan Theatre Club, bodyoftheworldplay.com/ Rand, Ronald. "Solo Transformation on Stage: A Journey into the Organic Process of the Art of Transformation" Brown Posey Press, 2021. Isherwood, Charles. "'Emergence-SEE!' – Theater – Review." ''The New York Times'', The New York Times, 23 October 2006, www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/theater/reviews/23emer.html. Rimalower, Ben. "'On My Own': The Top 10 Solo Shows on Broadway." ''Playbill'', PLAYBILL INC., 6 September 2014, www.playbill.com/article/on-my-own-the-top-10-solo-shows-on-broadway-com-328659. "History of Solo Performance." ''Allforone'', www.afo.nyc/history-of-solo-performance. Catron, Louis E. ''The power of one: the solo play for playwrights, actors, and directors''. Waveland Press, Inc., 2009. David, Cara Joy. "Theater Companies Learn the Value of Flying Solo." ''The New York Times'', The New York Times, 2 May 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/theater/03solo.html. Young, Jordan R. ''Acting solo: the art of one-Man shows''. Moonstone Press, 1989. Miller, Bruce J. ''Acting solo: roadmap to success''. Limelight Editions, 2010. Carlson, Marvin. ''Performance: a Critical Introduction''. Routledge, an Imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Solo performance Vaudeville Comedy theatre Plays for one performer