Although I have become a regular at this monthly event, it has been a while since I've written about The Astoria Bookshop Storytelling Show hosted by the talented David Lawson. I attended tonight's show, and as usual, had a great time.
Lawson's show is a great opportunity for local writers and performers to showcase their work, and for those who are particularly good extemporaneous speakers, just to get up and tell a story. Tonight's show was a jumbled bag of goodies. The first included a nightmare involving an ex-girlfriend (and an even more fascinating one, briefly mentioned, involving being eaten alive by the Wizard of Oz flying monkeys). This was followed by a tale of a crime spree used to finance dreams of becoming a public access star. Celebrities made appearances in stories involving bonding with Harold Ramis over Star Trek: Insurrection, sneaking into a lecture by Stephen Hawking and having a perfect Seinfeld moment with Seinfeld himself. Sex was included in pieces showcasing awkward matchmaking, awkward three-ways, and awkward (and painful) STD checks. Other topics included pyrophobia and a fireworks fail, pranking a foul-mouthed aunt, burying a grandmother at Walmart (no, really) or dealing with a mentally ill parent.
The Astoria Bookshop continues to be an amazing community resource, with events for adults and kids and a great selection of books. Lawson's Storytelling Show is an excellent showcase for the incredibly vibrant theatre and storytelling scene in Astoria.
The next Storytelling Show will be held August 11th from 7:00-8:00 PM at the Astoria Bookshop (31-29 31st Street in Astoria). There is no theme to the shows; performers can tell a 5 minute story based on something from their life. There is no fee (but be a mensch and buy a book or two from the shop). Names are chosen at random from a bowl, and usually most performers are called (but there are no guarantees if it is crowded).
Here are some photos from tonight's show.
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