THEATRE ROW: The Lion Theatre, Inc. New York; Presents BILL BOWERS in ALL OVER THE MAP: Written by Bill Bowers and directed by MARTHA BANTA

                                             THE LION THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS...
                                                         410 West 42nd street 9th Avenue
                                                               New York City, New York

                                                    BILL BOWERS'

Bill Bowers is a VETERAN ACTOR who has appeared in numerous FIRST CLASS PRODUCTIONS which include; Zazu in The Lion King, and Leggett in The Scarlet Pimpernel (including his own written works which he has performed in off-Broadway venues).

                                                                       (Bill Bowers)
I have to tell you; to do a ONE MAN SHOW is quite a feat. I always admire those actors who can PULL IT OFF! It is not an easy venture to do. You have to be a particular type of PERSONALITY and POSSESS a tough and CONSUMING EGO! Not in the sense of NARCISSISM, but in the sense of KNOWING WHO YOU ARE as an individual at CORE LEVELS.

The PSYCHOLOGICAL FORTITUDE has to be well INTACT so as to not allow a FRACTURE of the EGO, which could lead to a DISSOLUTION OF SELF (which can lead to a "host" of problems down the road...)

Bill Bowers is a MIME ACTOR (a skill in and of itself!), who performs ALL OVER THE WORLD, and throughout the UNITED STATES.

Mr. Bowers, whether he REALIZES it  or NOT, is doing the COLLECTIVE a huge favor by revealing to us the differences and nuances of HUMAN NATURE throughout his TRAVELS, and "living" (if only for a moment in "time and place") all secular aspects of the HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

He performs for the the RICH, the POOR, the DISADVANTAGED: races, cultures and ALL IN BETWEEN, bestowing the GIFT of himself, as well as RECEIVING "gifts" from those he comes into contact (no doubt ENRICHING HIS SPIRIT).

This is why he can SMILE or LAUGH (in the picture above) and you can see the "DIVINE CHILD" within...(the "seat" of his creativity)

A PERSONALITY OF THIS TYPE is capable of GREAT HEALING (for all who come into contact with this individual).

                                 (not reflective of this performance: no authentic pictures available)

THE PERFORMANCE at the LION THEATRE was a composite of all his travels and the STRANGE and UNUSUAL experiences he has encountered throughout his travels both abroad and within the United States.

He shows us various "sketches" and "simulations" of the experiences he has encountered; acting them out and truly giving us an entertaining account, not only of his "own take" on the experience, but also how it has impacted that environment (if only for a moment in time). No doubt, the stories were authentically "real" (supposing that we "buy into" the enthusiasm of the "moment").

Most ONE MAN (or woman) SHOWS are carefully CONTRIVED and FORMULATED (after all, you don't want to lose your shirt!).

Thanks, no doubt, to the DIRECTOR. Mrs, Banta certainly provided the SCAFFOLDING in which Mr. Bowers was able to "build the story".

The SET comprised of only SIX CHAIRS-that's it! And this brilliant actor managed to keep us ENTERTAINED and FOCUSED on the PREMISE of these "experiences"through the SIMULATION of props and scenery through the agency of these six chairs.

                 (not the actual chair used for this production; no authentic pictures were available)

The AUDIENCE could not get ENOUGH from this fantastic performer. His energy was CONSTANT, not missing a BEAT (in performance nor in stamina). Everybody laughed and cheered and applauded with such endearment and familiarity that he felt like he was your uncle or brother.

Besides the actual PERFORMANCE, we did get a sense from the actor (because, after all, these "encounters" and travels fostered real, human experiences which, no doubt, have a UNIVERSAL APPEAL), that he was  "affected" and "impacted" by these experiences. There was much sentiment and "reflective humor", which comes from having gone through the "hard knots" of life (whether real or imagined). At the very least, you got a sense of "empathy" and a "rising compassion" of what this actor experienced.

      (these pictures of Mr. Bowers does not reflect this performance; no authentic pictures available)

I LOVE performances in which there's LEANING (to me,this is the PURPOSE of theatre; to bring us, as a humanity, CLOSER TO GOD;by exalting the WORKS of MAN).

Special thanks to Ed McCarthy, for his GENIUS in the LIGHTING DESIGN.

This ONE MAN SHOW gets 3 1/2 STARS!