Review: Martin Moran Lets Loose in ALL THE RAGE at The Barrow Group

As ALL THE RAGE begins, warm stage light casts shadows across a simple set: a lamp, a globe, a long table, and a pair of blackboard maps. From this apt academic environment we get schooled in emotional geography by writer/storyteller Martin Moran. This timely revival of his award-winning 2013 performance retains its potent blend of compassion, catharsis and droll humor.

Moran takes the stage not by storm, but with the most polite "turn off your cellphones" pre-show message I've ever heard. But don't let his preliminary persona fool you: "Nice is OK," Moran says, "But let's admit it. Anger is awesome."

And so is his solo show. Directed by Seth Barrish (who also directed Moran's THE TRICKY PART in 2004), ALL THE RAGE is an even-keeled exploration of the mystical, spiritual and corporeal connections that Moran has made that help him navigate, reflect on and reconcile pieces of his past.

A visual storyteller with an eye for detail and characterization, Moran draws from a trove of vivid examples: a tension-filled funeral, a dangerous crosswalk, a stressful African journey, and a soul-stirring story involving a survivor of torture seeking asylum. Things aren't all serious, however; Moran also dabbles in family drama and a bit of Broadway humor.

In 80 anger-managed minutes, Moran connects the dots and pins the maps, offering us a macro-look at the micro-aggressions that have informed his insightful journey from suppressed to expressed rage: "Like when I read from The Tricky Part or perform the one-man play, people will often ask: 'Where is your anger?' And, I got to tell you, it pisses me off. But as maddening as this question is, it has become a central riddle...an obsession. I mean: Where IS my anger?"

So go ahead and get mad, and get your tickets to ALL THE RAGE, which runs through October 5th. But remember to silence your cell phone... or else.