Robin Williams was such an incredibly talented, funny, skilled actor, who touched the lives of many in very positive ways. Watching him in movies, hearing his comedic way of delivering lines; his gestures, voices, expressions, his energy were very special to witness. Recently, Dave Droxler wrote and performed a marvelous one-man show about Williams, who was his idol as a child and through his entire life, called “Robin and Me: My Little Spark of Madness,” which was presented by the Abingdon Theatre Company at Theatre Row on W. 42nd Street.
Droxler created a beautiful tribute to a man who helped him smile, laugh, and keep going through the most painful parts of his childhood. When he would get upset, he would talk to Robin Williams and get advice. Droxler expertly mimicked many incredible actors’ voices, along with their facial expressions and gestures, including Jim Carrey, Jack Nicholson, and Andy Kaufmann. He did Williams so movingly, you almost felt his spirit in the room. His tribute to this beloved actor was done with love, tenderness, and respect.
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An extraordinary performer, Droxler started the show by coming out and breaking the fourth wall: He not only spoke directly to the audience, he did a comedy routine that was quite entertaining. Droxler then shared stories about his home life as a child. He talked about upsetting things that happened and how watching Robin Williams in shows like “Mork & Mindy” helped him to get through the rough times.
In creating his tribute to WIlliams, Droxler also gave the audience an interesting history of this actor who came into our lives, touched us deeply, and left much too soon. There was so much comedy, joy, happiness, zaniness, and tenderness in this production, I felt blessed to be in the audience and experience the brilliance of Droxler’s writing and his stellar performance, along with the astonishing direction of Chad Austin.
If you hear of this play being mounted again, you must make plans to see it.
One other observation: As you sat in the audience waiting for the show to start, soundtracks played over the sound system from sitcoms from the ’70s and ’80s, and from Williams’s movies like “Popeye.” It took me back to a time when life was so much simpler—a time when we were innocent and there seemed to be a lot more joy in the world. It’s strange to think about how television shows and actors truly played a part in the way that we viewed the world and ourselves.
I don’t know if actors realize the impact that their work can have on a young mind. I don’t know if actors know that what they do means a lot to so many people on levels that they could not imagine. But a play like this declares this fact with a bullhorn.