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.
