‘One Man Breaking Bad’ Review: Fast, fun for fans of the popular series
Are you a fan of Breaking Bad? Do you know Jessie’s catch phrase? Does “Badger” mean more to you than just a woodland creature? If so, you’d probably enjoy “One Man Breaking Bad – The Unauthorized Parody” running Sept 17-19 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts (Jaeb Theater).
Performer Miles Allen takes the audience on a 90 minute whirlwind tour through the highlights of all 5 seasons of AMC’s Breaking Bad television series. Allen is like that fun guy that you see at a party that entertains everyone with his fresh perspective of the commonly experienced aspects of daily life. Much like Eddie Murphy recapping his childhood experiences with mom’s home-cooking, dad’s grilling, and Aunt Bunny’s unusual vocabulary (“Goony Goo Goo”), Allen takes the series and highlights the pivotal points with a comedic twist as he impersonates all the main characters (Walter White, Jesse, Saul, Skyler, Hank, and even Walt Junior).
Since the shows finale in September of 2013, you may have forgotten a few things, but Allen brings them back and leaves you wanting to watch the series all over again. Even hearing the familiar introductory music makes you consider going out to buy the series and putting it under the Christmas tree in a few months. That said, if you weren’t a fan of the show, then this performance isn’t for you.
The machine-gun jokes come at you so fast and he jumps from one character to another with such ease that only fans who watched the entire series will have a full understanding and appreciation of the performance.
There are really only a few limitations to enjoying a great evening with Allen. There’s a bit of adult language and content which suggests parental guidance be advised for those under the age of 16, but it’s nothing extreme by today’s standards considering the subject matter.
Aside from that, I personally had a hard time hearing Allen himself whenever any music was playing. This was a huge shame because the lyrics to his song parodies were hysterical based on the audience’s reaction. And finally, as I already mentioned, you have to be a fan of the show. If you’re not, you’ve got one night left to watch the entire series to avoid spoilers and enjoy this unique performance.
For more information about the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and its upcoming events, please visit the Straz Center’s website at www.strazcenter.org.
One Man Breaking Bad – The Unauthorized Parody – 2.5 out of 5 stars
Review by Debbie Sage
