Review Fix Exclusive: Barry Levey Talks ‘Hoaxocaust!’

Review Fix chats with playwright Barry Levey, who discusses his upcoming one-man show “Hoaxocaust!,” a laugh-out-loud performance inspired by former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s denying of the events of the Holocaust.

HOAXOCAUST! will play Friday, August 15th at 9:15pm, Saturday, August 16th at 2:45pm, Sunday, August 17th at 2:00pm, Tuesday, August 19th at 6:00pm and Thursday, August 21st at 9:30pm at Venue #12: 64E4 Underground (64 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery).

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for the production? How did it all come together?

Barry Levey: Several years ago, I started noticing Holocaust deniers becoming more prominent in the news and wanted to write a round-the-world, Indiana Jones/Dan Brown-style epic adventure about someone investigating and debunking all of their pseudo-science. The director Jeremy Gold Kronenberg had a weekend slot in Prospect Theater Company’s “Dark Nights” series at 59E59 Theaters and asked if I had any ideas; I pitched the adventure.  Jeremy said: “Great. We have no budget, two weeks to rehearse and can’t have a set. Can you write it as a one-man show?” Hoaxocaust was the result of that challenge.

Review Fix: What do you think you’ve learned about yourself through this whole process?

Levey: As a writer, I’ve realized that my gut reaction is to leaven every tense moment with a joke, be it a self-deprecating aside or a sarcastic observation–and I’ve had to get comfortable letting things land and stay in a scarier place.  Letting the audience experience how terrifying the rabbit-hole of denial can be means the play has to move from the ridiculous to the discomforting.  As a performer, I’ve learned that actors are extraordinary talents with a toolkit of skills that I will never take for granted again.

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?

Levey: It’s aimed at people who enjoy a tart satire. I hope it’s in a continuum with everything from Swift’s “Modest Proposal” to the Colbert Report. It’s also proven to be enjoyed by people who like a good after-show argument–there’s no time for talkbacks in the Fringe, but in our previous run people stayed to discuss and debate for an hour or more after every performance.

Review Fix: What is it like to perform your own show?

Levey: Harder than I ever imagined.  Rewarding in an “Eat, Pray, Love” bucket-list way.  It makes me doubly vulnerable as writer and performer, and I had never imagined I could feel any more vulnerable than I did as just a writer.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite element of the show?

Levey: I enjoy taking the audience on a ride.  There’s a palpable sense in the room when people’s opening expectations experience a shift, and like surfing that wave.  As a writer, I also geek out pridefully about the structure, which was really hard to iron out but which I think works well.

Review Fix: Bottom Line. Why should someone see this show?

Levey: Because it’s laugh-out-loud funny while also being provocative and challenging.  Because it tackles current events and modern political and cultural identities in a brave and risky way.

Review Fix: How do you want the production to be remembered?

Levey: Remembered? I want it to play in perpetuity! Okay, how about simply as a unique theatrical experience?   There’s nothing else like it.