Alex Tatarsky
Sad Boys in Harpy Land
“A thrilling and frenetic mental breakdown of a show.” — New York Times
Sad Boys in Harpy Land is a clown play about wanting to die. A falling apart coming-of-age tale from playwright and self-proclaimed “experimental clown artist” Alex Tatarsky (“outrageous and profane,” New York Times), the one-person show is a semi-autobiographical tour-de-farce that takes place in the hellscape of the mind.
A “blistering, brilliant show, relentless in its invention, humor, and inquiry” (New York Theatre Guide), the piece is a deranged adaptation of Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Theatrical Mission, a novel about a little boy who wants to be a theater artist but isn’t very good at it.
Embracing the spiral, the unfinished, and the broken bits, Tatarsky ushers audiences through a series of existential vignettes to examine how depression often masquerades as individual malady—when it might be better thought of as a shared sadness.
“Tremendous…superb” — New Yorker (This Year’s Best Theatre, 2023).
Please note: capacity for each performance is limited, advance ticket purchasing is recommended.
Alex Tatarsky, Creator/Performer
Called a “hilarious, finely tuned absurdist” (Theatre Jones) and “one of the most exciting and hilarious performance artists around” (ArtSpace), Alex Tatarsky makes performances in the uncomfortable in-between zone of comedy, dance-theater, performance art, and deluded rant–sometimes with songs. Tatarsky experienced fleeting fame as Andy Kaufman’s daughter and used to perform as a mound of dirt. Playing with perceptions of language and narrative structure, their live performances are highly responsive to venue and audience, often breaking the fourth wall and embracing humor to reveal vulnerability and humanity. Venues include La Mama, MoMA PS1, Playwrights Horizons, The Kitchen, The Whitney and many bars and basements. As curatorial fellow at the Poetry Project, they organized a series on the poetics of rot. Research interests include bootlegs, hellscapes, and compost. @tartar.biz
Sound Compositions by Shane Riley
Direction by Iris McCloughan
Costume, Props, Scenic Design by Andreea Mincic
Lighting Design by Masha Tsimring
Developed by Eva Steinmetz
Dramaturgy by Basie Allen, Lisa Fagan
Sad Boys in Harpy Land was commissioned by Abrons Arts Center through the Jerome Foundation AIRspace Residency Program.
Playwrights Horizons, Inc, in New York City produced the NYC Off Broadway Premiere of Sad Boys in Harpy Land in 2023.
Sad Boys in Harpy Land received development support through FringeArts, the Jilline Ringle Solo Performance Program at 1812 Productions, Poetry Electric at La Mama ETC, MAAS and Cannonball Festival.
Photo by Maria Baranova.
SIMILAR EVENTS