Escape From Bellevue and Other Stories by Chris Campion
The Paradise Factory Theater, 64 E. 4th St.
by Susan Ryan
Chris Campion, the charismatic lead singer of downtown’s Knockout Drops has the distinction of being the first patient since 1963 to escape from Manhattan’s notorious Bellevue Hospital. In this Off-Broadway production directed by Horton Foote Jr., Campion, through comically dark monologues interspersed with live songs, lives (and this is an achievement when you hear what he’s been through) to tell the story of his Bellevue escape — along with a decade’s worth of other tales of detox, doing blow with rodeo clowns, living off girlfriends, a stint on Madonna’s Maverick record label and other misadventures Campion’s monologues offer a hilarious and touching look at the life of a struggling, working musician trying to make it in the notoriously fickle music industry of the 90s while trying to maintain his own alcohol-soaked sanity. For anyone interested in a fresh, down-and-dirty look into the world of Manhattan, musicians and mental hospitals, this is your show, and Campion your charming, guide.
