Nationally known performer to perform two one-man shows Sunday at Bedell

A one-man show isn't that hard when you use the audience.

Nationally known performer Timothy Mooney will perform two one-man shows Sunday at the Bedell Performance Hall.

Mooney, a widely known producer, actor and writer, said his shows are a high-energy experience with opportunities for audience participation. Mooney will perform two pieces, "Moliere Than Thou" and "Lot O' Shakespeare."

"Moliere Than Thou" introduces the audience to the 17th-century playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Moliere."

"You can think of Moliere as sort of the French Shakespeare," Mooney said. "He specializes in comedies, and led his own troupe performing and writing some of the greatest plays of all time."

Moliere wrote "Tartuffe," "The School for Wives" and "The Imaginary Invalid."

In Mooney's "Moliere Than Thou," the scene begins with Moliere, perplexed at how his show will go on since his cast has all come down with food poisoning. Moliere forms a plan to perform his favorite monologues from some of his most famous plays so he doesn't have to refund the audiences' money.

"Moliere blazes the audience through his career essentially, introducing one piece after another and performing them for the audience all the while involving them as if they were the other person in the scene with him," Mooney said.

Throughout the performance, Mooney will occasionally call members of the audience up on stage to read a scene, or he will interact with the front row.

Mooney's second piece called "Lot O' Shakespeare," does not have a specific plot like "Moliere Than Thou." Instead, Mooney recites a monologue from each of Shakespeare's 38 plays and six sonnets.

"I perform as if it were a bingo game. We put 44 pingpong balls in a cage and spin the cage and whatever monologue comes out that's the monologue I perform," he said.

The audience will be issued bingo-inspired cards where they can check off the plays they have. The first audience member to get four in a row will receive a prize.

Mooney's performances involve stamina and an abundance of line memorization. The shows are challenging for him because he's the sole performer.

"There's a lot of memorizing, and there's never an opportunity where the audience is going to put their focus on someone else," he said. "It's just me carrying the load throughout. It's a high-energy experience where I'm constantly keeping the ball in the air."

Along with traveling the country performing, Mooney has also recently published an acting textbook called "Acting at the Speed of Life" that is used in high school and college level acting courses.

The performance at 7:30 p.m. Sunday will last about two hours, with a short intermission between the two pieces. Tickets are $16 for general admission and can be purchased at the River Campus box office or by calling 651-2265.