By Gary Wien
originally published: 03/01/2006
What is SAMURAIZATION all about?
...Having my sushi and eating it, too! It's about getting happy - and about celebrating being alive - which means facing the fact that we're all going to be not alive at some point. The show's inspired by a Japanese writer named Yukio Mishima who was deeply into the Samurai culture - which stressed the importance of making bold, clear choices... (you don't see images of whiny, wishy-washy Samurai warriors..."Do I chop off his head now? or now?"). I feel like lots of people - including myself - struggle with how to get the most out of life. The show explores doing that by getting clear about what life is (or can be): an intense, finite experience of calculated risks.
Audiences say the show's hilarious and uplifting -- and hearing everyone laughing, I guess you wouldn't think it's a show about death -- but it is. I've had people tell me that they see the show being about facing fear, about making the right choices, about feeling good. I can agree with all of these.
You've performed one-woman plays before, do you like the challenge of being alone on stage?
I'm thrilled by performing solo on stage - I'm alive and buzzing when I'm out there with the audience. I've been called a 'stand-up poet' - which is some kind of hybrid of stand-up comic and performance poet - and there's accuracy to that statement, I think. Every show is different because of the audience and that makes the whole ride worth taking.
What's the most difficult thing about a one person show? What's the most rewarding?
The most difficult thing for me is rehearsing. It can be really lonely because my whole show rides on the relationship with the audience --- which is the most rewarding thing --- making the connection with the audience.
I notice that you sometimes move back and forth between your works (like going from Fear Junkie to Samuraization) - do you ever find your characters morphing by accident? How do you keep the works straight?
Fun question! I don't actually - it's really fortunate that, for some reason, the pieces are caught in different parts of my brain, I guess... That'd be really fun, though, to see Yukio Mishima show up in the middle of my therapy session for Fear Junkie!
Tell me a little about the Out of the Box series you co-host in North Brunswick.
Oh, yes!! Thank you for asking! OUT OF THE BOX is an open-mic series for performers of all types. We've been running for three years now at the Pride Center in North Brunswick. Each month we have a featured artist - now they're coming in from around the nation - Arizona, Washington DC, Chicago. About 40-55 folks show up each month to listen and share. It's a really special space - where people actually listen and are there to support each other. I couldn't be prouder of this event.
About the author:
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at
lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
EVENT PREVIEWS
"Chip and Gus" - a comedy with balls comes to Florham Park on July 20th
(FLORHAM PARK, NJ) -- On Monday, July 20, 2026, Chip and Gus, a comedy with balls will be presented at The Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory. The play is performed, directed, and created by John Ahlin & Christopher Patrick Mullen. Showtime is 7:30pm.
Nutley Little Theatre presents "The Worst Fairy Tale Ever"
(NUTLEY, NJ) -- The Narrator is ready to start the show, but how is that supposed to happen when nobody else in the cast has read the script and the costumes haven't even arrived yet? Children, families, and the young at heart will find out when Nutley Little Theatre presents The Worst Fairy Tale Ever by Todd Wallinger July 25-26, 2026.
The Theater Project presents Kaleidoscope Kabaret
(UNION, NJ) -- Kaleidoscope Kabaret (that's Kabaret with a K), The Theater Project's annual festival of live music and short comedic plays, will liven up the stage of DMK Black Box Theatre in Union Township's new Arts Center from July 24-26, 2026.
Aspire Performing Arts presents Disney's "Descendants: The Musical"
(MONTVILLE, NJ) -- Aspire Performing Arts Company, an award-winning performing arts company based in Wayne, will present Disney's Descendants: The Musical from July 24-26, 2026 at the Barn Theatre in Montville. The production features two casts of young performers and is directed by Joey Nasta with musical direction by Shannen Lynn and choreography by Charlize Dominguez.
Mile Square Theatre presents "Urinetown: The Musical"
(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Mile Square Theatre (MST) is proud to present its first-ever Pre-Professional Theatre Program production, Urinetown: The Musical, book and lyrics by Greg Kotis, music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann. The entire production is led by a team of professionals - the assistants and cast are all young artists ages 18 to 25, based in Hudson County and from across North and Central New Jersey. The production runs from Friday, July 24 through Sunday, July 26, 2026.
Country Gate Players presents "The Addams Family Musical" (Youth Production)
(BELVIDERE, NJ) -- Country Gate Players presents The Addams Family Musical (Youth Production) from July 24-26, 2026. This is the spectacular culminating production of their 2026 Summer Youth Performance Workshop.
Award-Winning "5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche" Returns for One-Day Fundraising Preview Before Edinburgh Fringe Debut
(GARWOOD, NJ) -- Before taking their award-winning production to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland this August, Cheese Platter Productions will present one final hometown performance, and one final opportunity for audiences to help send the company overseas.
Woodbridge Community Players present "9 to 5, The Musical"
(WOODBRIDGE, NJ) -- The Woodbridge Community Players present 9 to 5, The Musical from July 23-26, 2026 at The Theater at Woodbridge Middle School. Three unlikely friends take control of their office and learn there is nothing they can't do, even in a man's world.
The 1964 Civil Rights Act Takes Center Stage with "All The Way" at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey on July 27th
(MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) continues its acclaimed Revolutionary Voices play reading series with Robert Schenkkan's Tony Award-winning drama All the Way on Monday, July 27, 2026 at 7:30pm at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the campus of Drew University. This special one-night-only event brings together an exceptional cast to dramatize one of the most pivotal periods in American history.
Mystic Vision Players presents "Seussical, the Musical"
(LINDEN, NJ) -- Mystic Vision Players presents Seussical, the Musical across two weekends from July 24 through August 1, 2026 in the Susan L. Hudak Auditorium inside Linden High School. The musical features a Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty; Music by Stephen Flaherty; and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. It was Co-Conceived by Eric Idle and Based on the Works of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss).
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