Jack
A
Solo Performance
Written and performed by Michael Huie
“...a moving piece of theater.” - Christopher-Michael DiGrazia, Ripper Notes
“...compelling chameleonesque showmanship.” - Frank O’Neil, Triad Style
Jack - A Solo Performance uses monologues from a variety of perspectives to create the atmosphere and social conditions of Victorian England. Jack London called the East End of London “the abyss,” and it was this poverty-ridden urban area where the world’s first -recognized serial killer hunted his prey.
Jack will put the audience on a first-name basis with the major players involved in the unforgettable autumn of 1888, from a Jewish shoe-maker falsely accused of the crimes to the grandson of Queen Victoria to some of the unfortunate women whose names have gone down in history as victims of Jack the Ripper.
The play was written by Michael Huie from a story by Huie and Boston writer Jeff Miller. Jack is directed by Brook Davis. James Dodding contributed music and lyrics to the play.
The show premiered in October 2001 at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC. and was also performed during the 2002 US Jack the Ripper Conference in Baltimore, Md in April.
Jack is an ideal theatrical experience for universities and colleges. The show can be booked for a single performance or as part of a package with acting and/or history-based workshops led by Michael Huie.
Comments from past audiences:
“Jack really catches the human aspect of the Ripper murders and the environment in which the victims, and the Ripper, lived. I was especially moved by Annie Chapman and the contrast of Joe discussing Mary Kelly as an actual person versus the Coroner's clinical assessment of her remains. “ - Jane Wooten, actress
“The
show was wonderful. [Michael Huie’s] grace, intelligence and
specificity
as an actor is a
joy to watch.” - Sharon Andrews, professor of theatre, Wake
Forest
University
“Jack was perfect. The simplicity of it was perfect. Nothing was too big or too small. It was all just exactly right. Nothing extraneous, nothing out of place.” - Patricia Oldis, marketing director, Little Theatre of Winston-Salem
"Jack gave my high-school students the opportunity to view various techniques in the performance of monologues, and the complete transitions used in transforming from one character to another. They witnessed an actor’s ability to change characters in body stance, dialect, personality and overall character traits in an instant. What a treat! The students were impressed, and gained new insight into working on monologues and creating characters." - Kerry E. Lawson, Drama Instructor and Director, Salem Academy
"Thoroughly
captivating... a raw performance that embodies the grim reality of
the
Ripper crimes." - Stephen P. Ryder, Casebook: Jack the
Ripper
"'Jack' is a magnificent not-to-be-missed performance. I can't recommend
it too highly." - Donald Rumbelow, author of The Complete Jack the
Ripper
