Thumbs Up! Martin Moran Is Riveting In the New Solo Show All the Rage

Martin Moran looks like the least angry man on the planet. Slender and soft-spoken, he exudes a mild-mannered friendliness that would make him a welcome dinner party guest. But don’t be fooled: This veteran of Broadway musicals such as Titanic and Spamalot has plenty of reasons to write a show called All the Rage. A survival of sexual abuse by a camp counselor (detailed in his acclaimed 2004 solo piece The Tricky Part), Moran had an evil stepmother, a depressed younger brother and a long history in therapy. Thankfully for off-Broadway audiences, he has again transformed his angst into a beautifully written and performed solo show, which opened on January 30 at the intimate Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. All the Rage tackles the big questions—how to create a meaningful life, how to hold on to your sanity in a crazy world, how to move from anger to forgiveness—with wit, originality and, best of all, modesty. Improbable as it might sound, Moran creates a riveting evening surrounded by nothing more than a globe, a map of Manhattan, a stack of pamphlets and an old-school overhead projector. Get tickets for All the Rage, and see for yourself how he does it.