Acclaimed Portland Performer Amber Martin Debuts
Hi!
Begins September 8 at The Greenwich Village Center Theater
"Look out, Amy Sedaris, here comes our Amber!" -- Portland Tribune
"’Hi!’ is the sum of fractured pieces carefully patched together to make a grotesque whole. Kind of like Frankenstein, or Shirley MacLaine." -- Portland Mercury
"Like watching Ruth Draper after she's come back from an acid trip during which
she thought she was Janis Joplin.... Fight for a ticket." -- Willamette Week
"Martin spins every vocal nuance into gold and her range is powerful indeed...
Her talent as a surrealistic satirist is huge." -- The Oregonian
Following in the footsteps of comic character monologuists such as Lily Tomlin, John Leguizamo, and Whoopi Goldberg, acclaimed Portland solo artist Amber Martin brings her award winning show Hi! to New York for a limited engagement. It is co-directed by Emmy Award-winning veteran television writer Jack Bouche and Portland playwright/theater critic Steffen Silvis. Recipient of the 2003 Portland Drammy Award for Best Solo Performance, Hi! begins previews on September 8th at The Greenwich Village Center Theater. Opening night is scheduled for Saturday, September 10th.
Hi! is an hour long journey into the lives of eight unique individuals. Noted as a performer of many faces and voices with boundless energy to burn, performer Amber Martin seamlessly morphs from character to character without leaving the stage. Hi! introduces us to a bevy of characters who all seek salvation in their own way. There is Tammy Cross, a saccharine-voiced church lady prone to interruptions from Satan; Rocka, the 1/2 woman, 1/2 forgotten rock-stadium guitar hero; psychedelic space-age icon Dottie Write who plays a driftwood bass; and Leeba Zewiwick, an aging, scat singer on her last legs. Blending monologues, movement, music, heartfelt reminiscences, and acid-capped comedy with a hint of electro-schock therapy, Hi! is a serio-comic multiple-personality trip.
Amber Martin is a dancer, singer, actor, performance artist. Born in Texas (where she was once reigning Tulip Queen of Nederland) and a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, she currently resides in Portland Oregon. She has performed solo shows in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Mexico and Texas. In 1999, she formed the performance group House of Cunt, called "the funniest group in town" by the Oregonian. As a vocalist, she was selected to perform the songs of Janis Joplin at the 16th Annual Janis Joplin Birthday Bash in 2003. She has worked as a vocalist with the Oregon Ballet Theatre. Recently, Amber opened as a guest artist for the national tour of Puppetry of the Penis. For more info visit AmbyMartin.com.
Hi! runs September 8 - 24, Thursday - Saturday at 8pm. The Greenwich Village Center Theater is located at 219 Sullivan Street, between Bleecker and West 3rd Street (accessible from the A,B,C,D,E, F&V trains at West 4th Street.) Tickets are $15. For tickets call 212-212-868-4444 or visit SmartTix.com.