Wonderful
by C. M. on 1/3/20Moore Theatre - SeattleMy wife and I enjoyed this immensely. We had a wonderful time. The show was a lot of fun.
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About
Taylor Mac on Tour
No matter how you slice it, A 24-Decade History of American Music is arguably the most ambitious feat in musical-theater history (and the good news is that Taylor Mac performs his 24-hour masterpiece in less demanding time spans).
Developed over the course of eight years, A 24-Decade History packs 246 songs (all sung by Mac) into 24 hours, each representing one decade of music from 1776 to the present. Every decade is accompanied by a different yet equally fabulous, symbolic, and surreal Mardi Gras float of a full-drag outfit designed by Mac's longtime costume genius, Machine Dazzle. Audience participation, you'll discover, is mandatory.
Mac's magnum opus is a smart, hilarious, and provocative drag show expanded to cosmic proportions. However, the actor-playwright-singer also performs shorter excerpts from A 24-Decade History that range from two to six hours. Its full performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2016 began with 24 musicians onstage, with only Mac himself, strumming a ukulele, remaining during the noon-to-noon marathon's final hour.
"It's part of my job to make people think outside their norms a little bit," Mac has said. That entails, for example, staging the Civil War with ping-pong balls, imagining a wrestling match between gay poet Walt Whitman and Deep South songwriter Stephen Foster, or asking audience members to dance with someone of the same gender while Mac sings NRA favorite Ted Nugent's "Snakeskin Cowboys." Mac does not necessarily consider his performances "safe spaces."
Born in 1973 and raised in Southern California, Taylor Mac was heavily influenced by his mother's private school, which encouraged students to build from their mistakes. Perfection is for jerks, Mac often says, although he uses a saltier term. Mac has written several plays and concocted other relatively elaborate performance pieces, but none compares to the work for which he was awarded a MacArthur Fellows Program "genius" grant.
Mac's work has been performed at New York's Lincoln Center, the Public Theater, and the Sydney Opera House. He has appeared with Mandy Patinkin in The Last Two People on Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville, directed by Susan Stroman.
And he has been described as "Ziggy Stardust meets Tiny Tim," which inspired him to create the show Comparison Is Violence, or the Ziggy Stardust Meets Tiny Tim Songbook.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Rating: 5 out of 5 Incredible!
by Lizzie on 9/22/19State Theatre - PortlandOne of the most amazing theater experiences I have ever had - from Broadway to Boston to Portland. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have experienced his show and think everyone in America should go. It was fun, humorous, uplifting and hopeful. Thank you Taylor Mac!
Rating: 3 out of 5 Fun but not fantastic
by John LB on 12/18/18Royce Hall - UCLA - Los AngelesThis was the first time I had seen Taylor Mac. I went with high expectations and I was a little disappointed. The crowd was fun and they were in a good mood and wearing interesting clothes. There was some entertainment and photography beforehand which was very cool. He's a good performer and the show was very professionally done . I was not blown away. I thought the show was expensive and not overwhelming.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Experience was amazing
by Mickey on 12/18/18Royce Hall - UCLA - Los AngelesI hope attending a Taylor Mac performance will be a part of my holiday experience every year! judy's song selection and singing were phenomenal. The audience participation in Fairy Tale of New York was terrifically fun. I had a really, really wonderful evening.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Taylor Mac is my new hero!
by surmalo on 4/11/18ASU Gammage - TempeSuch a wonderful, unusual, delightful, engaging, community-inspiring evening! I would see this ever-evolving performance art piece again in a heartbeat.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Gold 70
by Dark14 on 4/10/18ASU Gammage - TempeTaylor Mac is an incredible performer! His voice is excellent and he does a great job of including the audience in his performance. He adapts his songs and performance to the area he is performing in. Enjoyed the performance so so much!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Taylor Mac was amazing!
by DrCottonCandy on 4/10/18ASU Gammage - TempeTaylor Mac was utterly amazing and to have judy in Gammage on the ASU campus seemed to me to be a cultural moment! judy's singing had a range of styles and voice that was constantly engaging and her rendition of Dylan's "Hard Rain" was the most lyrical, moving version I have ever heard. I wondered how judy was going to involve the audience in the very traditional seating that is Gammage, but he managed to do it well. I took three friends with me for the sheer fun of it and we all just had a wonderful time! Go see Taylor Mac, who is an entertaining genius; you'll be so incredibly happy that you did!
Rating: 5 out of 5 He's the Boss, Applesauce!
by ArtGroupie on 12/15/17Town Hall - New YorkTaylor Mac's brilliant holiday show did not disappoint this fan of his work: his choice of material, the arrangements by Matt Ray, the political and philosophical nature of his patter between songs, the costumes, all come together to create a singular experience that is cathartic and uplifting and devastating and hilarious and outrageous. He is an amazing artist and he knows how to hold the room. For all of his mastery of those elements, he still reveals a vulnerability that is relatable and touching. Consensually so! Five stars.
Rating: 5 out of 5 The Great Eflatus
by Vleecker on 12/15/17Town Hall - New YorkTaylor Mac is a treasure, a truthsayer, and an illusionist. His collaborators, Matt Ray and Machine Dazzle, helped create an evening of discomfort and joy. After the two encores and the standing ovation, there was about seven seconds of murmuring as people checked their phones. Then - a great roar welled from the whole house. DOUG JONES - they read. Everyone left with an extra spring in their step.