Adam, what is the appeal of playing such a Monster?

It’s a two part answer:  

1)       In Eff, I find the most play.  As I sit in his wheelchair and stare out at an audience, I am able to unabashedly say what I want to say about politics, humanity, art and most importantly, about my own place in the world.  I feel huge inside the restricted body I have constructed for myself.  I have nothing to lose, so I gamble high.  I offend for the sake of social justice.  I call out hypocrisies and insecurities, double standards and common fears.  I judge them or laugh at them, depending on the vice.  I may even love them, depending on the night.  

2)       Audiences love Eff.  They are charmed by him, moved by him, excited by him, scared of him, attracted to him, engaged with him.  And this is the main point: audiences are very engaged.  Bouffon is not a pretty form and it is far from conventional.  In it, I ask an audience to really spend an hour in a room with me.  I have direct address.  When forced to spend that hour with a monster, we will innately run the gamut of emotions: we judge, we’re grossed out, we distance ourselves, and then, as we are forced to really look at that which we fear, we develop compassion.  People fear Eff, and grow to understand his perspective and sometimes even love him.           

– Adam Lazarus

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