The Wake

Ben Moroski makes this work with his intensity, delivery, and performance. The subject matter made my skin crawl, but definitely worth experiencing this show. Expect to feel uncomfortable, a little freaked out, and possibly even a little scared at times. Good stuff. ... full review

Meticulous writing/storytelling skills paired with intense, raw, delivery are the hallmark of Ben Moroski as a talent. The Wake dubs him a de facto force to be reckoned with. Read the full review: http://giaonthemove.com/2014/06/29/fringe-up-the-wake/... full review

The Wake - review by Pauline Adamek. ***This review first appeared on www.ArtsBeatLA.com ***   At the beginning of his one-person play The Wake, Ben Moroski — posing as ‘Pete Harrisburg’ — rushes in, introduces himself with a self-deprecating “I’m the asshole doing this play,” and then hands audience members flyers for this show. Moroski thus places an important distance between him — the writer and performer — and the character’s tale that unfolds. A hyperactive guy in a black suit and thin tie with slicked-back hair, Pete gives us a bit of a prologue to ‘the play’ by illustrating his recent backstory and explaining how an actor’s workshop has helped him get through “the heavy shit.” So at first, we are invited to attend the ‘wake’... full review

HOLYSHITTHISWASAWESOME. I *hate* one-person theatre with all the fiery passion of the nine hells, and I think this show is INCREDIBLE. Ben Moroski, raconteur nonpareil, takes the craft of solo storytelling to a new level with this dark, twisted, yet somehow endearing exploration of unconditional love. My pick for Best Solo Show 2014. ... full review

Ben Moroski is truly talented, and he and director Nick Massouh have created a very memorable night of theater. "The Wake" is a rambling, bizarre, impassioned story about a man who (accidentally) runs over a woman with his car and then falls in love with her. It's a strange, unexpected reflection on intimacy and human connection. It's also, surprisingly, a sort of meta-reflection on one-man shows and the idea of performance, as it's staged as a one-man show within a one-man show. I would recommend it just as a chance to see all that of which live theater is capable: just one man and one chair, onstage for an hour--and it's captivating.... full review

AWESOME show! Do not be mistaken--this is not an autobiographical one man show, it's a play with a wild story and a tour de force performance by Ben Moroski. Rarely do we see a performer so capture every second of our attention (and his script does the same), and Nick Massouh's direction is so seamless you're not even aware of his presence. Ben's going to be huge one day, see him now!!:)... full review

Moroski is a force to behold. His character, Pete Harrisburg, is trying to get over a very bad break-up. Pete was so much in love that he almost stopped living when his girlfriend left him. Pete finds solace through theater and tries to work out his problems through a play. See the rest of the review at Examiner.com... full review

A fantastic script combined with Ben Moroski's atomic performance lift this show into the extraordinary. Witty, horrifying, beautiful and brutal. For those who think solo shows are the bane of any Fringe fest, this is your antidote.... full review

Explicitly descriptive and hyperkinetic, he puts the audience on edge — and that’s exactly where he wants it. Over the course of the next hour, Moroski takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride that gets darker at every turn.... full review

If it seems at times that everyone in Hollywood has his or her own story to tell (or at least an hour-long version of it), it’s a notion reinforced by the plethora of solo performances vying for attention at each year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival, meaning that when a solo performance arrives that is not an excuse for navel-gazing (sorry, make that self-reflection), it’s an event. Ben Moroski’s The Wake is such an event. It’s not that Moroski doesn’t have his own story to tell. He does, and told it to awards and acclaim two years back in This Vicious Minute. This time round, however, Moroski’s one-man show is a work of fiction, an honest-to-goodness play that just happens to star a single actor, though two characters feature majorly i... full review