Ray Bradbury's Pillar Of Fire

Bill Oberst Jr. Was brilliant and compelling. Great reading!! ... full review

If you can only see one show this year, THIS IS THE ONE!... full review

Review: The Last One You’d Expect Quote: He came out of the earth, hating. Hate was his father; hate was his mother. You walk into the theater. The stage is bare; no scenery, no art, no props. As you adjust yourself to the surroundings, you then notice a …thing… in the middle of the bare stage. It doesn’t move, not even an inch. After a very long time, you start to notice movement. From a seemingly crumpled heap of rags, a man emerges, or what you think is a man. It is contorted, as if in anguish, rising, slowly, painfully, untangling the wreck of his arms and legs, growling unintelligibly at first, then finally forming words. Words of pain, words of anger, words of hate. His name is William Lantry, the year is 2349, and he has r... full review

Bill Oberst Jr. gives life to Ray Bradbury's words. Through intense physicality and an impassioned delivery, he tells the story of William Lantry, the last monster in the world. This is a haunting story, masterfully told and staged. This show gets my highest recommendation.... full review

The performance is masterful. A dance of darkness begins and we find dead superstition arisen as William Lantry in the NEW world. Bradbury's masterful text is resurrected, the sound exact, and the future scientist appropriately serene. Brillliant how to construct a world with some dirt, chalk and our minds. You will be consumed! ... full review

Outstanding performance from Bill Oberst Jr. -- a performer of enormous charisma who turns Bradbury's cryptic, eerie story into a compelling 1 hour drama. Highly recommended.... full review

Bill Oberst Jr is fantastic. Let's just get that out of the way. It's a one man show and he's the man. And he's huge. Such a great performance. To say "And the the material is Ray Bradbury" is underselling the weight of what's going on here. This is Ray Bradbury at his early best. You can see so much of his future stories in this piece. Poe, Lovecraft, fire, autumn, a seemingly absurd premise played out to its logical and most human conclusion. Censorship. Persecution. Technological neo-puritanism. It's all there. And in Oberst's skillful hands, it just flows. There are no real highlights. The whole thing is a highlight. Here's how you know. The lights went out and I was sorry it was over. In fact, with 2000 shows to see, I'll probabl... full review

There are few words to describe the power of live theatre and an energetic and heartfelt performance by any actor. The opening performance is always powerful as the actor takes ownership of their character, sees, and feels the fruits of their rehearsals. First performances are the true awakening of a character as exhibited by Bill Oberst, Jr. in “Ray Bradbury’s Pillar of Fire.” I was enthralled when I saw it the first time and saw the power of this incredible actor live on stage. Originally intended as a “reading” of this Bradbury story, Bill’s body language along with a few well-placed props and split second timing brought forth the humor and the horror of a life without imagination in the distant future. With great pleasure I return... full review