When I met up with writer and performer Beowulf Jones to talk about his new solo show ‘Disconnected,’ he had just finished running the lights and sound for a show at Upright Citizens’ Brigade (UCB) Theater. He does a lot of that--it’s how he currently makes a living. But ‘Disconnected’ marks somewhat of a departure for Jones. Whereas he can often be found in the tech booth during shows, in ‘Disconnected’ (which he also wrote and is directing), Jones takes the stage. And whereas much of the comedy he’s written in the past has been “absurdist and silly,” in ‘Disconnected,’ Jones goes for honest.
“This is the first time I’m really talking about my life and I’m not hiding behind a blanket of absurdity,” Jones says. Which, based on the life that Jones has led, may very well be a treat for audiences. Jones has lived in New York for the past six years, including a brief period of homelessness that he touches upon in the show. The thread that holds the true stories together, as the title suggests, is the feeling of being disconnected. “My therapist tells me I have disconnected feelings, which makes sense,” Jones says, “because I never know what I’m feeling.” But, Jones emphasizes, “It’s not a therapy show.”
So what is this show? After hearing Jones talk about it, it’s clear that ‘Disconnected’ could very well be an important event in his comedy career. He began putting the material of the show together after a recent performance in the popular storytelling series, RISK! Jones notes that performance as the first time as a solo performer that he ever received an overwhelmingly positive response--including from something of a “super successful famous person.” (Jones is not one for name-dropping). That person’s advice to him? “You should do a show and get out of the tech booth.”
Beyond just getting out of the tech booth, ‘Disconnected’ serves as a chance for Jones to assert his comedic sensibilities. “What a lot of people find funny, I don’t find funny,” he mentions, with perhaps a twinge of disappointment. “I’m always at shows and I’ll laugh at the set-up of the joke, and I’ll just think that the setup is hilarious. And then the punchline will come and everybody in the audience will laugh, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I didn’t think that was that great.’”
While Jones doesn't necessarily know if 'Disconnected' will be great, he does offer this: "If I’m proud of something I usually have thirty disclaimers that go along with being proud of it. And with this show I’ve only got like five or six."
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Jones debuts ‘Disconnected’ at the People’s Improv Theater (the PIT) on Thursday, September 29th at 7 pm. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by visiting the PIT’s website, here. In addition to true stories, Jones will also be deconstructing his "favorite music video of all time." He says, "Basically my greatest talent in life is watching television and making medium-funny comments about whatever’s on the screen.... So I had to make sure watching stuff and talking about it was well represented.”
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