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Now I'm no mathematician,
but since when did entertainer plus performance
artist plus stand-up comic plus "vocal
acrobat" equal zero? As Zero Boy tells
it, that's the way things have been adding
up for him since childhood...
It was as a kid that Zero
Boy first discovered his talents with sound
effects, mime and vocal interpretations
-- talents that have him on stages, in clubs
and on the airwaves all over the city. "As
a kid I played by myself creating all these
worlds with sounds and movement," Zero
Boy says. Later, when he moved to New York,
Zero Boy found himself hanging out at ABC
No Rio's open mic with Matthew Courtney.
And that's where he honed his skills .
Zero Boy has grown up
to write, direct and perform in a variety
of genres: traditional theater, stand up
comedy, television, street performance festivals,
radio, film, comic books and a national
magazine. On a recent Monday night, I caught
him as part of a burlesque show at Galapagos
Art Space in Williamsburg. As part of the
show's theme, "Burlesque Goes to the
Movies," Zero Boy delighted the crowd
with his take on the sounds of porn (lots
of panting and heavy bass) and The Titanic
(lots of waves and capsizing).
He was recently featured
on WNYC’s The Next Big Thing
where host Dean Olsher challenged Zero Boy
to take on-the-spot requests for "vocal
interpretations" from audience members.
It was a hit with the audience that tried
all sorts of unusual idea combinations in
what became known as "Stump Zero Boy."
But Zero Boy's talents
aren't all verbal. He's an experienced writer,
too, with a comic anthology series under
his belt. Jack Zero, Cracker Jack Shot,
published by Dark Horse Presents, is about
a Wild West trick shooter whose exploits
are fictional and who has never been out
West. He's finally lured out there by a
woman who believes that he's a real gunfighter
and needs him to help her family. When it
comes to writing, "Ultimately,"
Zero Boy says, "I would like to do
films, TV and more comic books." He's
written a screenplay that he describes as
"a Buccaneers screenplay inspired by
the real life exploits of the Caribbean
anarcho-pirates. Swashbuckling true tales!"
Zero Boy has performed
all over the U.S. and Europe. When asked
how his show changes for an international
crowd, he notes that, "in most international
shows, I have to do pieces that are all
sound and movement. They don't necessarily
have the same clichés that we do."
But he's quick to point out what's universal
about his shows: "There are a lot of
things that bind all people together and
the sounds of these things makes up where
language misses."
Starting February 1, you
can catch Zero Boy the first Tuesday of
the month at The Belt Theater in Manhattan,
co-starring in E-Z Tuesdays with Ethan Lipton.
"It's a show in a great space with
a relaxed atmosphere where Ethan's comedic
jazz ditties will delight and my surreal
cartoon stories will amaze." "Stump
Zero Boy" will make its return in a
second set where Zero Boy improvises to
audience suggestions.
What's down the road for Zero Boy? "I
hope to find someone to finance my new endeavors
like a comedy CD. And I'd like someone to
buy my movie. I would also like a TV or
radio show featuring the weird world of
Zero Boy." And why not? With the kind
of "new math" Zero Boy pulls off,
anything's possible.
E-Z Tuesdays are
the first Tuesday of the month at The Belt
Theater 336 West 37th Street. For tickets,
call 212-352-3101. $10.00 includes one free
beer! |
