FringeNYC Previews

Choke City

Produced by Mean Boy Productions

Author: Manny Liyes

I wanted to tell a story using Citizen Kane as a model, the ultimate American character study. But of the America that I know that isn't exposed or romanticized, that of the "pretender," "the also-ran," "the wannabe," or, to put it plainly, the loser.  And people have this perception of a loser as not American, as not being a person holding attributes of greatness. But America is a country of losers, their greatness usually defined by the size of the stage they're on. And no performer can reach such heights with such little acclaim as the stand-up comedian.

Certain events in the news inspired the specific questions behind this play. First was the frustrating collapse of the New York Mets.  It made me wonder what a loser really is and how can people really tell one from just another competitor. The second and most unfortunate incident that occurred during the writing of my first draft was the untimely death of Heath Ledger. I had already adapted the idea of a performer dying on stage from the Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoon, Showbiz Bugs. Ledger's death initially shocked and saddened me but I didn't see the distinct relation between it and my play until I saw the media's response to it. And it seemed right for the media to continually talk and guess about Ledger's feelings and intentions and experiences because he was a celebrity. Well, what if he wasn't?

As a lover of acting, writing and stand up comedy, this play allows me the opportunity, maybe the only one I’ll ever have in my lifetime, to explore these great expressions of the stage. I’m excited to be here and perform, overwhelmed by the honor and hopeful that the audience will see what I see, if only for a moment.

Manny Liyes, writer/director/actor