Friday, February 18, 2011

FRIGID New York Interview - David Mogolov of "There Is No Good News"

By Byrne Harrison

Name: David Mogolov
Show: There Is No Good News
Website: http://www.mogolov.com/

How did you first get involved in theatre?

By accident. My first appearance onstage as an adult was the result of my getting cast in a show before I fully comprehended what I was signing on for. It was the equivalent of getting hired from an "informational interview." As anybody who's ever auditioned for anything knows, that's a harbinger of doom.

Who are your biggest influences?

Spalding Gray and Mike Daisey in the theatre. George Carlin in comedy. The rest of my main influences are novelists and essayists: Graham Greene, Cynthia Ozick, Kurt Vonnegut. I think the common thread is that I like funny people who are clear writers and aren't afraid of paradox and complexity.

Tell me a little bit about your show.

There Is No Good News is a monologue, a mix of storytelling, characters and reflection, stitching together seemingly disparate stories and ideas into what I hoped--and have been told is--a surprisingly tight-knit whole. Through it all, I try to get the joke density of stand up comedy into what you might call a "theatrical essay." God, that sounds terrible. Really, it's great. I promise.

What inspired you to write it?

The show grew out of two things: the financial crisis and the birth of my daughter. I'd done several one-person shows before, and I knew I wanted to do another inspired by what I thought was a real sickness in our culture, which really ripped wide open with the financial crisis. I was first pulling together ideas for that show when we found out my wife was pregnant, and the two topics merged in a fantastic way. The original idea is just barely represented in the show, but I can return to it another time. I'm much, much happier with how it turned out than how it might have been.

Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?

I've been working with my director, Steve Kleinedler, since 2001. Steve and I have been working together so long that we tend to anticipate some of each others' quirks and complaints, and each show we do, I think we get closer and closer to some sort of bizarre mindshare. We don't always agree, but we understand and respect each other enough that we're both listening, and I get more from his moments of opposition than I get from most people's support.

What's next for you after FRIGID?

I've started work on a show tentatively titled "I'm Hungry From All Of This Eating." I hope to send it into the world in early 2012.

And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience, what would it be?

Prepare for eye contact.


There Is No Good News

The Red Room (85 East 4th Street)

$10

Thu 2/24 @ 6:30pm, Sat 2/26 @ 2pm, Tue 3/1 @ 9:30pm, Fri 3/4 @ 8pm, Sat 3/5 @ 5pm, & Sun 3/6 @ 6:30pm

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mogolov is a genius!