Spitting

BOB BRADER

Review by Martin Denton

Spitting in the Face of the Devil is a gripping monologue in which Brader talks about his father (the
“Devil” of the title) and how he has begun to come to terms with the legacy that Robert A. Brader, Sr., who
died in 2003, left behind. Brader grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania where everybody loved his glad-
handing Dad—everyone, that is, except Bob himself, who was systematically abused, physically and
emotionally, by his parent from an early age.

In the play, Brader tells harrowing tales about being beaten for wetting his bed and ridiculed for
participating in school entertainments. This stuff is hard to listen to, but Brader’s confident, candid
storytelling manner and his vivid, earnest writing keep us compelled throughout. It’s not just a litany of
horrendous recollections nor is it the outcry of a helpless victim; Brader genuinely wants to understand his
father and why he acted the way he did (notwithstanding the epithet he’s chosen to give him), and he
wants us to understand too. Near the end of the show, when Brader shares that he recognizes more of
his father in him than he’d like to admit (and talks about working hard to “exorcise the Devil”), we really
appreciate the stakes for the playwright/performer, and the play feels even braver than it already has.

Brader’s father had a deep dark secret that fueled much of his rage and misbehavior, and though it
becomes easy to figure out what it was as Brader recounts his tale, it’s still definitely a doozy and won’t
be given away here. But Spitting in the Face of the Devil is less a mystery story than it is a journey into
manhood and, as I’ve already said, away from constrictive shadows of the past.

Brader, a fine actor who has appeared in numerous works for downtown auteurs Suzanne Bachner (who
directed and developed this show) and Frank Cwiklik, proves himself also a deft writer. Spitting in the
Face of the Devil is rich with intelligence and humor, and shows off its author’s broad range of talents
neatly. (Brader demonstrates, for example, his nifty Paul Lynde imitation at one point.) It’s staged with
simplicity, Spalding Grey-style, with just a desk, chair, and bottle of water. Brader creates the various
characters in the show using spare mannerisms and differing voices. Overall it’s a gripping, elegantly
conceived event.

Brader’s conquest of his demons is probably still ongoing, and that fact lends his show a therapeutic feel
(for him, I mean) that ongoing healing may diminish. He hasn’t put all of his father’s story in this show,
either because he doesn’t know it or doesn’t want to share it; maybe with more distance he can add that
in as well, for deeper insight into the dangerously unhappy man who was the most important influence on
Brader’s life and who is also the sad center of this drama could only strengthen both.

The Exorcist
by Lauren Snyder
Spitting In The Face Of The Devil reviewed June 11, 2007

Photo Credit: Scott Wynn
There are many reasons why people write and perform in a one-person show: to engage in a very public
therapy session, to tell a story that hasn't been heard onstage, and, obviously, to showcase their
acting/writing talents. For Bob Brader, his reason was more pressing. He needed to exorcise the
demons of his past—specifically, his father, who is the titular evildoer at the center of Brader's Spitting in
the Face of the Devil.

Photo Credit: Scott Wynn
Growing up in eastern Pennsylvania, Brader was "Little Bob" to his dad's "Big Bob." But the elder Bob's
joviality and popularity with his extended family and friends was at odds with the belittling, abusive
monster whom his son and wife knew at home. As Brader dispassionately charts his coming of age and
realization that his father is the Devil, he relates experiences both charming (when he figures out that he
wants to be an actor) and disturbing (his father's way of handling Brader's bedwetting habit). As the truth
behind Big Bob's behavior comes out, will Little Bob be able to escape his father's grasp, and his
legacy?

Photo Credit: Scott Wynn
Brader employs a linear structure to his storytelling, starting from the news of his father's death and then
running through major events of his youth and early adulthood. Though the show runs 90 minutes—a little
lengthy for a solo piece—Brader's tale and his energy in telling it keep the audience from growing
restless. The set (a black desk and chair on a black stage) and Brader's position (seated behind the
desk) never change, but the performer's pauses for a sip of water or coffee work alongside Douglas
Shearer's lighting design to note scene shifts and changes in tone.

Brader's impersonations of his mother, father, younger self, and friends are judiciously minimal, evoking
the characters without turning into silly impressions. The actor mostly underplays the drama of the story,
but the events in his story, coupled with Brader's driving need to tell it, make for compelling theater.

There is catharsis to be found when opening up to the world. While Brader admits to having worked on
much of his past in therapy, it's clear from Spitting in the Face of the Devil that this production is not just
vanity or exhibitionism but a way to expunge any remaining residue from his gritty past. As for the
audience, some might get a voyeuristic thrill from the proceedings, or a feeling that "the grass isn't
always greener" (their childhood wasn't so bad after all). But most important, they are part of one man's
healing process.

Spitting in the Face of the Devil: a Hellish Delight

Tuesday, June 19, 2007; Posted: 11:27 AM - by Duncan Pflaster

I have to say I was apprehensive about going to see Spitting in the Face of the Devil. Although I'd
enjoyed the work of the actor and director before (I reviewed We Call Her Benny in the Frigid Festival in
March), often one-person shows can be hit or miss. I'm pleased to report that Bob Brader's
autobiographical one-man show about his relationship with his late father is very much a hit.

Like the late, great Spalding Gray, Mr. Brader sits behind a table and talks, with nothing but his voice
and facial expressions (and a few lighting changes) to carry his story. Mr. Brader is an incredibly
versatile and engaging performer. Every character he talks about and impersonates is vivid and real.
Suzanne Bachner's direction is flawless. She is also credited with developing the piece.

The story is harrowing and fascinating- it concentrates on an abusive ex-marine father who Little Bob
comes to call The Devil. Little anecdotes build up into a cohesive whole as the child begins to grasp
the whole picture of who his father is and was. The sometimes shocking subject matter is peppered
with humor throughout- It's a credit to the writing and direction that the audience is brought along for the
ride so effortlessly. One can recognize one's own foibles in the story; by the time it was over, I knew
these people.

I highly recommend this piece.

Photo by Scott Wynn

offoffBway.com
Review: Spitting in the Face of the Devil
offoffbway @ 5:45 pm July 15, 2007
review by Naneh Israelyan

In a compelling performance, Bob Brader, or Little Bobby as referred to by his family, animates for the
audience the story of his childhood through the upbringing of his abusive father. Bob Brader enters the
stage to announce the death of his father and thereafter slips into a simple wooden chair centered in the
middle of a simple wooden desk—and at this desk Brader draws the audience into his childhood through
the magic of storytelling.

An autobiographical story, Bob Brader reproduces certain events of his childhood through immaculate
impersonations of family members and friends, elaborate depictions of incidences that have marked his
childhood, and smart lighting choices that aid in bringing his words to life. As an audience member, you
will find yourself intrigued by this man’s tragically sad past. Certain anecdotes might spark questions as to
their significance within the entire picture; however, seemingly insignificant events bring together a larger
story by the end of ninety minutes.

Robert A. Brader, Sr., the aggressive and insulting father who inspired a profound hatred within Bob
Brader whose only salvation was found in his cloying mother, hides an entirely unforeseen, shocking
secret that is revealed half-way through the play. The audience discovers the secret as Bob Brader
proceeds in uncovering the truth. Brader’s words compel the audience to such an extent that one might
feel as though one is unearthing secrets and experiencing events as Brader makes his movements.
Further, the course of the story flows elegantly with successive stories strewn together by complex links
among following anecdotes.

The final blow, however, was not half as satisfying as the majority of the play. Although
possessing a dense understanding of the nature of family whose attitudes, manners, and even behavior
inevitably may wash over proceeding generations, one might find that Bob Brader’s inability to shy away
from his aggressive tendencies disappointing. Despite an unsatisfying closure, Bob Brader keeps the
audience at their knees with an engaging knack for storytelling adorned with smart humor and a shattering
kind of sadness that will linger in the mind

Photo by Scott Wynn

LISTEN TO THE
PODCASAT OF SNIPPETS FROM 5 SHOWS INCLUDING AN EDITED VERSION
OF SPRING FLING FROM
SPITTING IN THE FACE OF THE DEVIL

New York International Fringe Festival
reviewed by Kristin Skye Hoffmann
Aug 14, 2009
In Spitting In the Face of the Devil, writer/performer, Bob Brader has produced a one-man show that
isn't "showy" at all. His performance is sort of the antithesis of spectacle in a theatre, and it happens to
work quite well. In fact, it is more like a man telling his life story to a room full of uninterrupting friends
than it is a man performing a monologue. Certainly, Brader changes into the characters about whom
he speaks, but he does it in a way that makes it impossible to forget who is actually telling the story,
and it is indeed an unforgettable story. I believe he only even got up from his chair one time for the
duration of the performance.
"The Devil" to which the title refers is Brader's father. From what we learn over the course of the
performance it is a very appropriate nickname. Abusive, mean-spirited, and a closeted homosexual
child molester—these are just the tip of the iceberg that make up this "devil" and the unfortunate thing
is that even though the tales are reminiscent of common soap opera themes and seem too horrible to
be true, it becomes very evident by the end that what was inflicted upon Brader in his youth and into his
adulthood are all too common for people these days.
Brader should be commended for his performance. He offsets the melodramatic themes by avoiding
any play for sympathy, which is not something that many writers/performers of one man shows tend to
do. He is ultimately just telling his story. With the help of director Suzanne Bachner he avoids any
possible hint of whininess that could easily have been present. Bachner does an excellent job in not
over-directing this piece. It is so simple and honest that even the uncomfortable material is easy to
absorb.
Brader's story is one that many people with similar experiences would struggle to share, and he
deserves kudos for having the guts to make it into art rather than letting it swallow him whole. This is a
show that should really appeal to the everyman—to people with dreams who have had to know
themselves before they could make them real, shirking off the oppression of anyone who has told them
they would never be anything. It reminds us to value those who support us and to accept that there will
always be someone telling us we can't do something. It is up to us what we choose to believe.