A Beast/A Burden

Why are some superbly talented artists wildly celebrated and “successful” during their lifetimes, while others with equal talent are ignored? Who knows? As E.M. says, “Only connect!” Ben Heathcoat as Burden is excellent as the self centered seemingly (deeply) innocent exhibitionist is compelled to compel the public to further burden Burden with pity and praise. ... full review

It's such a wonderful experience to see the life of an artist portrayed in such an artistic way! Highly recommend everyone to watch Beast/ A Burden. ... full review

A terrific show about the outrageous, edgy performance artist Chris Burden, whom I'd never heard of before. Although they differ in style, his unpredictability reminds me a bit of the comedian Andy Kaufman, although Burden came first. One simply didn't know what to expect! The cast is great and the show is compelling! Highly recommended!... full review

This was an interesting piece about an artist that I re-remembered once the show began. A look into the world of contemporary conceptual art, the art world in the early LA scene, and specifically Chris Burden. In this portrait a complex person is revealed, not always sympathetic but very human and striving to find meaning, to evoke reaction, and create a connection through danger and vulnerability. ... full review

great show!... full review

Definitely worth seeing. Creative and well acted. It explores the pretty outrageous conceptual performance art of Chris Burden. ((What I knew about him before seeing the show was that he had himself shot as the centerpiece of one of his works). ... full review

I thought HERCULES INSANE couldn't be topped for this year's "WOW!" factor (and it can't) but this is a contender, for a completely different reason: it's real! You might call it CHRIS BURDEN: THE WOODSTOCK YEARS, covering only the beginning of his eclectic career before he passed from an Anything-for-Attention paradigm to becoming a Mainstream Money Machine in the unpredictable Art Market. "Anything" ranges from death-defying to anti-social to merely nutty, but lookalike Ben Hethcoat makes us believe he's game for anything (and is, as we discover at the end), and a strong cast of 5 (3F/2M) supports recreations of his Performance Art. IS it "Art"? Well, that's more in the Eye of the Beholder than the Artist and this Beholder has his own ... full review

Sucks you right in, very enjoyable!... full review

A superb show. Gold Medal. The full review at; https://thetvolution.com/2018/06/a-beast-a-burden-not-your-average-animal/... full review