Mike Daisey is a theatrical performer I've followed off and on for a number of years (although as of yet have not been able to see live). He creates one man shows about a number of topics; previous monologues have ranged from Amazon.com to Paris Hilton. He's smart, funny, and likable.
Daisey is, however, becoming somewhat of the Terry Gilliam of the theater world. Three years ago he became famous for a clip posted on Youtube of a Christian organization literally attacking his work and loudly protesting his show in mid-performance. They said it had to do with the vulgar language he was using, but boy was it the wrong thing to do. Daisey received support all over the internet. Let me direct you to that clip:
Daisey had been working on a new piece (poster at the top) on Steve Jobs for a while now, and it's to be be performed at The Public Theater from October 11th thru November 13th. And then.... well, this past Wednesday happened. Nobody could have predicted the untimely passing of Jobs just two days ago, and now Daisey and the Public Theater's Artistic Director Oskar Eustis find themselves in a bit of a bind. The show is still going to go on as scheduled, but will audience interest be higher because of the much publicized death, or will theatergoers find the work too morbid and stay away in droves? Is the piece critical of Jobs or does it portray him a positive light? Does it matter? Interest is currently high in Jobs for obvious reasons. A biography on the man, originally scheduled to be released in November, was yesterday pushed up to October 21st because the demand was so extraordinarily high (it's currently the top selling book on Amazon). People are interested in the legacy of a man that created so much of what we use today, but do they have any desire to watch a polemic?
Daisey and Eustis quickly released a public statement on the passing of Jobs. They had to. They obviously don't want it to look like they're cashing in on the man's death (Daisey, although critical of his practices, seems to respect Jobs) and so they instead emphasized the often coincidental parallels between the theater and the real world. Eustis notes, "The Public is a theater committed to creating work that exists in vibrant discourse with the way we live now, and we support and encourage artists who take on the task of 'showing the age its form and pressure', to quote Hamlet. Mike Daisey is such an artist, a brave and brilliant practitioner of theater that matters. For such an artist, and such a theater, it is inevitable that reality and drama will intersect in surprising, sometimes uncomfortable ways. This isn't to be regretted; it’s to be celebrated."
Daisey humbly adds, "This moment is an opportunity to peel back the surface and get at the secret heart of our relationship with Steve Jobs, his devices, our labor, and China itself. We live in denial about China: a relationship that so disturbs us that we pretend our devices are made in magical Willy Wonka-esque factories by space elves instead of the real human cost we all know in our hearts has been paid. Steve Jobs was famous for his unsentimental directness, his ability to ignore nostalgia and demand the unvarnished truth, however difficult. I admire that, and these performances at this precise moment are an opportunity for us to together rediscover how alive theater can be when we don’t know all the answers."
What to do, what to do? I'm sure an epilogue is now being added to the piece, putting things artfully into perspective. After all, the thing is in previews, a time where crucial parts of a production get revamped, changed, and thrown out entirely. I'm curious what the reviews will be like. Not necessarily whether the critics like it, but rather if their reviews will consist almost entirely of a post-Jobs viewpoint. There's no doubt that his death will linger long in the minds of all that attend this Fall production, but hopefully everyone will remember that the work was created before his death and should be accepted as such. Jobs passing certainly adds a new major layer to Daisey's show, and please keep in mind that I am in no way implying that the death won't give the audience the right to interpret this new work from a slightly altered perspective. I just hope it doesn't overshadow it.
Here's a video of Daisey talking about The Agony and The Ectasy of Steve Jobs (recorded in January):
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