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John Leguizamo: Freak
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John Leguizamo: Freak
Freak is a solo performance written by and starring John Leguizamo that debuted on Broadway in 1998. In Freak, subtitled "A Semi-Demi-Quasi-Pseudo Autobiography (His Most Dangerous Work Yet)," Leguizamo tells his own coming-of-age story by portraying dozens of different characters—friends, relatives, neighbors, etc.—that he knew growing up in Queens. Freak was also released that same year as a live television special on HBO directed by Spike Lee.
Freak was a huge critical and commercial success, both on stage and as a television special. Well received by critics, Freak was nominated for the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play, with Leguizamo additionally nominated for the 1998 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. The filmed version was similarly acclaimed: Freak was nominated for the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, with John Leguizamo winning the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.
This last award has historical significance: with his 1999 win for Freak, John Leguizamo became the first ever Latino(a) to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in Emmy history.
There is no linear plot to the play, but over the course of the performance, Leguizamo traces his life from the very beginning (as a sperm cell) to the beginning of his career in show business. During the course of the play, Leguizamo portrays dozens of different characters, including friends, relatives and neighbors that he knew while growing up in Queens, New York. Leguizamo plays characters of both genders and of many different ethnicities, sometimes engaging in multi-character dialogues all by himself.
Freak marked Leguizamo's Broadway debut, following up on the success of his previous solo shows Mambo Mouth (1991), an Off-Broadway sensation, and Spic-O-Rama (1993), which enjoyed a sold-out run in Chicago before relocating to New York.
Freak began previews at Broadway's Cort Theater on January 20, 1998 and opened on February 12, 1998. Originally scheduled to run only 70 performances, its run was extended to July 5, during which time two live performances were filmed for the HBO special. Freak ended up running for 144 performances - more than double its original schedule.
"In its 20-week run, John Leguizamo’s “Freak” managed to defy Broadway’s odds in a big way. It often played to sold-out houses, a rarity for a one-man show. It attracted Latinos and Generation X-ers. And it also achieved something almost unheard of on Broadway these days: It made a profit." - The New York Daily News
Produced for just over $700,000, Freak grossed $1.2 million, making it one of the only successful plays of the season and resulting in the show's investors nearly doubling their money.
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John Leguizamo: Freak
Freak is a solo performance written by and starring John Leguizamo that debuted on Broadway in 1998. In Freak, subtitled "A Semi-Demi-Quasi-Pseudo Autobiography (His Most Dangerous Work Yet)," Leguizamo tells his own coming-of-age story by portraying dozens of different characters—friends, relatives, neighbors, etc.—that he knew growing up in Queens. Freak was also released that same year as a live television special on HBO directed by Spike Lee.
Freak was a huge critical and commercial success, both on stage and as a television special. Well received by critics, Freak was nominated for the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play, with Leguizamo additionally nominated for the 1998 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. The filmed version was similarly acclaimed: Freak was nominated for the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, with John Leguizamo winning the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.
This last award has historical significance: with his 1999 win for Freak, John Leguizamo became the first ever Latino(a) to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in Emmy history.
There is no linear plot to the play, but over the course of the performance, Leguizamo traces his life from the very beginning (as a sperm cell) to the beginning of his career in show business. During the course of the play, Leguizamo portrays dozens of different characters, including friends, relatives and neighbors that he knew while growing up in Queens, New York. Leguizamo plays characters of both genders and of many different ethnicities, sometimes engaging in multi-character dialogues all by himself.
Freak marked Leguizamo's Broadway debut, following up on the success of his previous solo shows Mambo Mouth (1991), an Off-Broadway sensation, and Spic-O-Rama (1993), which enjoyed a sold-out run in Chicago before relocating to New York.
Freak began previews at Broadway's Cort Theater on January 20, 1998 and opened on February 12, 1998. Originally scheduled to run only 70 performances, its run was extended to July 5, during which time two live performances were filmed for the HBO special. Freak ended up running for 144 performances - more than double its original schedule.
"In its 20-week run, John Leguizamo’s “Freak” managed to defy Broadway’s odds in a big way. It often played to sold-out houses, a rarity for a one-man show. It attracted Latinos and Generation X-ers. And it also achieved something almost unheard of on Broadway these days: It made a profit." - The New York Daily News
Produced for just over $700,000, Freak grossed $1.2 million, making it one of the only successful plays of the season and resulting in the show's investors nearly doubling their money.