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The Last Cargo Cult opens tonight

posted by Karen McKevitt on Wed, Jan 12, 2011
in Our shows

Mike Daisey’s critically acclaimed monologue, The Last Cargo Cult, opens tonight! By the way, do y’all know what a cargo cult is? No, it’s not the worship of a certain type of pants -- but that’s almost close. Cargo cults had been around for a while, but increased during World War II, when tribes in the South Pacific witnessed cargo arriving to Japanese and American military bases. The shipment of goods ended with the war, but tribal members engaged in ritualistic practices in hopes of attracting more deliveries.

In The Last Cargo Cult, Mike visits a remote island in the South Pacific whose inhabitants worship America and its goods at the base of an erupting volcano. He witnesses their rituals as the world’s financial system collapses, spurring a soul-searching assessment of what money means and who is paying the price.

 Here’s an enthusiastic response from Deborah Dashow Ruth, who attended Tuesday night’s preview:

“We didn't realize that tonight was Mike Daisey's first performance of The Last Cargo Cult -- and it was spectacular! An amazing tour de force. Totally unexpected, outrageous, and brilliant. He has the most amazing repertoire of facial expressions and an incredible range of voice tones. He just sits there, at that table, bringing an entirely different world to life from his chair.
As soon as the lights went down, I leaped to my feet for a standing ovation -- but at least 2/3 of the audience did so as well.
We're going to get tickets for The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, so we'll get to spend another two hours in the presence of this storytelling genius.”

Great seats for this week’s performances are still available. Buy yours now!

Mike has performed The Last Cargo Cult all over the country. Here's more praise:

"One of the elite performers in the American theater...with an effortlessness that comes from years of spinning tales, he imbues this trip with the punch of the first explosion of an action movie."
NEW YORK TIMES

"Perfectly balances humor and genuine anger…an incredibly ballsy and humble indictment of the banking system, American materialism and the audience."
VARIETY

"An intellectual omnivore with the theatrical authority and flair of a Gen-X Orson Welles."
SEATTLE TIMES

"A hilarious and rueful commentary on consumerism, the financial crisis and our own misplaced values. Daisey is the natural heir to Spalding Gray."
NEW YORK POST

"Insightful and hilarious—Daisey reminds us why we go to live theater in the first place."
ON PORTLAND

"A seriously funny man—he makes cogent, provocative connections to reinforce his point that our hunger for money and material things is the true religion of the Western world."
ASSOCIATED PRESS

"Daisey’s stories subvert your expectations and constantly ask us to engage. He travels from comic outbursts to moments of such quiet sincerity that you can hear a dollar bill drop in the audience."
BACKSTAGE

"Mike Daisey again proves that he’s the best performance artist working in the United States. His charisma, his corrosive wit, his scorn, and his mountainous anger don’t just amuse. They make you roar. And then they make you ponder. Simply put, Daisey is the best sit-down comic you’ll ever see."
EDGE NEW YORK

Photo of Mike Daisey by kevinberne.com.

 

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