Twenty-five years, 100 voices, one man.
BOOM X, created by and starring Rick Miller, returns to the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre (VDPAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Part two of the BOOM Trilogy, the explosive solo show by Miller captures the music, pop culture, and politics of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. From Atari to Kurt Cobain and Watergate to punk rock, Miller captures generation-defining moments through music, impersonation and tour-de-force storytelling.
He gives voice to more than 100 different characters in this stunningly staged production that blends cutting-edge multimedia with virtuoso performance.
Born between 1965 and 1980, Generation X is sometimes synonymous with alienation. Sandwiched between the boomers and the millennials, they came of age amidst the fall of the Berlin Wall, the AIDS epidemic, and the rise of the personal computer. It was also a time of cultural revolution – Gen X grew up with some of the best music of all time, from heavy metal and grunge to the golden age of hip hop, and some of the most iconic and influential movies, from the original Star Wars to The Breakfast Club.
Miller expertly captures the angst and the optimism of the MTV Generation in this love letter to the not-so-simple times before cell phones and social media.
“I’m excited to be coming back to B.C. with Part two of the BOOM Trilogy, because its Cold War stories have become more and more resonant with each passing year,” said Miller. “At a time when it seems history is doomed to repeat its greatest failures, I think it’s important to provide a voice of hope, heart and humanity. We can pull through tough times today, just as we did in the late ’60s, just as we did in the late ’90s. So bring your kids and grandkids, and let’s have an explosive inter-generational blast!”
BOOM X is the second in Miller’s trilogy that collectively span 75 years and chronicle generation-defining moments for the baby boomers, generation X and millennials. His show about the baby boom, BOOM was an overwhelming audience favourite at VDPAC in 2015. BOOM X follows chronologically and naturally sets-up the third edition in Miller’s trilogy, BOOM YZ.
“Although it’s a sequel, BOOM X stands on its own,” said VDPAC artistic director Erin Kennedy. “You don’t have to have seen BOOM to enjoy BOOM X.”
Miller is a writer/director/actor/musician/educator who has performed in six languages on five continents, and who Entertainment Weekly called “one of the 100 most creative people alive today.”
He has created solo theatre shows such as the BOOM Trilogy (BOOM, BOOM X, and BOOM YZ), MacHomer, Bigger Than Jesus and HARDSELL; and family shows with Craig Francis and the Kidoons Network, such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Jungle Book, and FRANKENSTEIN: A Living Comic Book.
Miller hosts an intergenerational podcast called X-ing The Gap, and sometimes teaches an interdisciplinary class at the University of Toronto called The Architecture of Creativity. He lives in Toronto with his partner Stephanie Baptist and their two daughters.
Tickets are $45 for adults, $42 for seniors, $40 for students and $30 for first two rows (all ages), at 250-549-SHOW (7469) and ticketseller.ca.
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