Hello, My Name Is Billy
No Hope Productions
One of the festival’s most buzzed-about productions, Billy is a filthy, unapologetic musical joyride courtesy of writers Scott Schneider and Tim Aumiller (who also directs). Through a series of 12-step meetings, we learn of Kansas boy Billy’s downward spiral from experimenting with cock and crack at 18 to his dalliances with pot, coke and acid in college to discovering Oxycontin and other narcotics—E, Special K, GHB, and finally, Meth.
Backstage gave a praising review:
Hello, My Name Is Billy is the kind of wincingly accurate and familiar show that feels as if someone has been listening to your phone conversations and then exaggerating the stories you tell into song. The details—from Billy’s increasing interest in drugs and partying at the expense of his college career to the nice guys who find Billy appealingly damaged instead of a sloppy addict—are dead on, and the sense of humor that writers Tim Aumiller and Scott Schneider have layered into their script keep the show from sliding into bathos.
And boy, can that cast sing! Everyone but McClellan also contributes an instrument (even if that instrument is simply a bottle of pills), and the sound is improbably lush given the cramped stage. As Billy recounts his story through the course of several 12-step meetings, we’re treated to a wide-ranging cast of characters, from the older co-worker who takes his virginity (Aaron Kliner, who also plays Billy’s father) to his imposing and sexy college best friend (played to perfection by the big-voiced Tush) and his introduction to New York City nightlife by Scott (a hilariously campy Robert Maril).
The show’s regular run is over, but Billy will most certainly be part of the Fringe Encore series in September.
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