An American screenwriter, actor, and comedian, David Dean Bottrell has appeared in multiple television series and, in his spare time, taught acting at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles) and the American Academic of Dramatic Arts (New York and Los Angeles). He was the perfect person to pen “Working Actor: Breaking In, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business” in 2019. Bottrell has taken his vast sea of talents to write and perform in two solo shows. In 2011, he presented “David Dean Bottrell Makes Love: A One-Man Show” at the Rogue Machine to sold-out houses. He brought a revised version of the show to New York City in 2019, and in 2020, Penguin Random Audio Books recorded a live version of the show. Now it’s 2024, and Bottrell returns to Los Angeles with his off-Broadway solo show, DAVID DEAN BOTTRELL: THE DEATH OF ME YET – a limited run at the Rogue Machine.
David Dean Bottrell – Photo by Conor Weiss
To quote Bottrell: “Although the show is about something much bigger, I honestly think it came into being because of the pandemic…we were all trapped in some form of isolation, and constantly being warned about how much danger we were in and to stay away from each other. It gave me a lot of time to think about how I want to spend my time from now on. I kind of think that all of my shows are about the search for honesty, even when it’s embarrassing or reveals me to be the unprepared clod that I am.”
David Dean Bottrell – PHoto by Conor Weiss
THE DEATH OF ME YET is the truest of black humor about a topic that usually draws sadness rather than smiles. In the hands of Bottrell, a genuine raconteur, the audience can’t help laughing – perhaps even as tears threaten. This is a series of vignettes about that certain inevitable finality, perhaps through an unexpected medical symptom or a moment of inattentiveness leading to… Or perhaps any of life’s events which could have awful ramifications – and then don’t. The audience was clearly gripped by Bottrell’s tales as a finger-snap leads to the next hilarious happening. David Dean Bottrell is clearly a man who can take a downturned frown and flip it into a happy face. His brushes with death turned out to be packed with laughs. Not for the faint of heart, THE DEATH OF ME YET is a funny-serious show which will delight audiences.
David Dean Bottrell – Photo by Conor Weiss
DAVID DEAN BOTTRELLS THE DEATH OF ME YET runs from January 10 to January 14, 2024, with performances at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The Matrix Theatre is located at 7657 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Tickets are $45 (seniors $35; students $25; Pay-What-You-Can, $20 minimum, Thursday, January 11). For information and reservations call 855-585-5185 or go online.
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