Ray Bradbury Comes To The Mountain The Noveland A New Earth: Tales of ert Atlanta Theatre: Bill Oberst, Jr. performsYour stage Life's magic at Art Station Stevenson; Purpose Volume 15 (Oprah's Book … By Doc Lawrence, $24.99 $4.69 Feb 29, 2020 1:22 pm ET More Info More Info More Info MoreClick Io above to hear an NPR . interview about the show... Like 266 Share 02/29/20 "Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for." Ray Bradbury Ray Bradbury's name is synonymous with imagination. No need to categorize him, he defies description. Long after his death, the author of classics like "Fahrenheit 451" has assumed immortality, a label he probably wouldn't like, and occupies an exalted place with those who want to love life more each day. Bill Oberst, Jr. channeled Bradbury for 90 spellbinding minutes in the opening performance of "Ray Bradbury Live (forever)", running Thu-Sun at the Art Station Theatre in Stone Mountain Village. Oberst took the audience on a tour-de-force of Bradbury's own spoken and written words. The result is comparable to the heralded portrayal of geodesic dome inventor R. Buckminster Fuller in D.W. Jacobs' "The History (and Mystery) of the Universe." Three segments, all comprised of Bradbury's words and excerpts from his works, are presented: Beginnings, Seductions and Second Chances. Ray's wife, Maggie, played here by the talented Dina Shadwell, appears for a dream dance and some light-hearted banter, which add romance and sensitivity, important because Bradbury could overwhelm with his exuberance and intellectual daring. The show's large-screen projections and original music score aid in the exploration of the ideas of a man who said, "I don't predict the future. I try to prevent it." Oberst has said that this authorized portrayal "is about Ray Bradbury's ideas, not his life. It's a show about what he has left us to ponder. Is there reason to hope? Ray says yes." Hope reigned supreme Thursday evening, inspiring a standing ovation. 5/31/2019 Review: 'Ray Bradbury Live' delves into the human condition | Spoleto | postandcourier.com Review: ‘Ray Bradbury Live’ delves into the human condition ec, dbck Click to listen to an NPR interview about show... Stacy Rabon and Bill Oberst Jr. in “Ray Bradbury Live (Forever).” “Ray Bradbury Live (Forever)” is an exercise in rediscovering one’s love of dinosaurs, rocket ships and all the things that capture children’s hearts and minds before they lose their sense of wonder. Written and performed by Emmy-winner Bill Oberst Jr., the show is just as much a description of childlike imagination, as it is a demonstration of it. 1/3 5/31/2019 Oberst plays legendary science ction and horror writer Ray Bradbury, as well as some characters in his novels and short stories. It’s not entirely a one-man show. Stacy Rabon joins the stage as Maggie McClure, Bradbury’s late wife, for a sentimental walk down memory lane. These stories serve as life lessons that Bradbury tries to instill within his audience. Included are the importance of keeping the mind in motion (“The Veldt”), the dangers of abandoning one’s loves and dreams (“A Sound of Thunder”), the pitfalls of lusting for life instead of actually living (“Something Wicked This Way Comes”) and the power of looking toward the horizon (“The Million Year Picnic”). “Live (Forever)” is carried by Oberst’s unyielding enthusiasm. The three years he put into the script is evident from the beginning. He wouldn't be mistaken for the late writer on the street. But for the almost minutes he occupies the stage, Oberst captures the spirit of the man and the worlds he invented. Whether it’s riding a bicycle onto the stage, waltzing with Maggie, cowering in fear in the face of an imaginary Tyrannosaurus, or traipsing about the oor as the famously sinister “Something Wicked” character Mr. Dark, Oberst throws himself into Bradbury and his characters with total sincerity. Christopher Cooksey provides some psychedelic visuals for the show, reminiscent of early-’s CGI music videos. It’s not “Avengers”-level graphics, but the old-school look added to the show’s irtation with nostalgia. The backdrop for “Something Wicked” stood out in particular as it transformed from a warm library into a warped crimson nightmare, setting the mood for one of Bradbury’s most frightening works. There were a few hiccups during the show. The inconsistent lighting often left Oberst in limbo between light and darkness for no discernible artistic reason. This was most evident when Oberst, playing the role of Mr. Dark, steps into the crowd to search for his victims in hiding. Instead of oering a glimpse of Mr. Dark’s wicked smile, the light rested somewhere between his chin and chest. The shoddy lighting subverted the tension and dread that Oberst — who is most known for his work in Hollywood playing horror movie villains — had built throughout the scene. 2/3 5/31/2019 The sound levels were touch-and-go early on, and when Rabon came on stage. But even a few buzzes and cracks from their microphones couldn’t sully the chemistry Oberst and Rabon displayed as the elder married couple regaling in the love they had shared. Oberst propels “Live (Forever)” onward and upward. He provides a thoughtful, poignant and honest look into the human condition. Call it a storybook version of Bradbury if you choose, but at that moment within the black box of Threshold Theatre, Bradbury’s stories were Oberst’s stories. Then they became our stories. Reviewer Mike Zawisza is a Goldring arts journalist at Syracuse University. Similar stories from The Post and Courier Ray Bradbury comes to life in Review: 'Roots' by mixes Review: 'Butcher Stories' a new multimedia show by Bill live action, animation, video smart and entertaining one- b d i f i h Click above to hear an NPR interview about the show... 3/3 This actor played a 'Criminal Minds' killer. Now he'll be a science fiction legend in Indianapolis. Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star Published 5:00 p.m. ET April 30, 2019 Bill Oberst Jr. has a face you know you've seen before but can't figure out where. The actor played the inbred West Virginian killer with sunken eyes and suspenders in "Criminal Minds" on CBS. He made the network show's list of the 14 most iconic serial killers. Oberst was the Facebook stalker with a grungy T-shirt in the viral "Take This Lollipop" video commentary on social media privacy, which won a Daytime Emmy Award. He played Clark in "Scream Queens" on FOX and won the first Lon Chaney Award For Outstanding Achievement in Independent Horror Films in 2014. And while Oberst has carved out a niche in horror, he has portrayed Jesus in places of worship as well as historical figures, including Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard. Now he's playing science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury, the famous author of "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Martian Chronicles," at The District Theatre in Indianapolis, IN. "Ray Bradbury Live (forever)" is Oberst's 90-minute play, authorized by the Ray Bradbury Estate, in which he, as Bradbury, assumes all of the roles, except for Ray's wife Maggie Bradbury. Indianapolis is the second stop on the tour, which began in March in Los Angeles, CA. The show debuted at the South Pasadena Public Library in South Pasadena, CA. It's not a biographical show, but instead wraps the actor's lifelong love of the famed author with bits of Bradbury stories, reflections and interviews. And the actor is sinking his heart, soul and resources into making audiences feel more hopeful when they walk out. "I wanted to avoid, especially in the case of Ray Bradbury, doing what I call the 'Wikipedia Dead Celebrity Show,' in which a famous deceased person recites their biography onstage. I'd rather get inside the ideas - the work - that made that this life matter" said Oberst. Bill Oberst Jr. will play Ray Bradbury in the touring stage production. (Photo by Anne de Haas) 'It gave me hope' A 14-year-old Oberst met Bradbury's words for the first time during a walk through the woods in Georgetown, South Carolina. "There was something that was glinting down there in the pine needles, and it was the sun reflecting off the cover of one of Ray's books titled 'S is for Space,' " Oberst said. "I picked it up and here was this man on the cover looking upward, gazing upward past me up into the trees, and the cover said 'tales of imagination from the master of imagination, Ray Bradbury.' " The hopefulness captured Oberst, who called himself a misfit in almost every way. The actor said he was heavy, had bad acne, couldn't throw a football, earned straight A's and knew all the answers in Sunday school. It added up to a recipe for unpopularity that he fought by entertaining his tormentors so they wouldn't bully him. But Bradbury's language offered a world that blessed a lonely Oberst's spirit. "It gave me hope … through words and through language, that I might be able to have a life that soared in some way. Ray makes your spirit want to soar," said Oberst, who now splits time between Los Angeles and Pawleys Island, South Carolina.