A TRIAL FOR LENNY—AND
SOMETIMES THE VIEWER

A courtroom drama that probes language,
censorship, and the cost of pushing boundaries

Jonathan Spivey, Johnny Anthony, Timothy Doyle

Unique among the performing arts, standup comedy is the only craft that cannot be sharpened without an audience. And, ironically, the only performing art that we allow, even expect, to deeply offend. Who ever heard of a trumpet player being dragged by police out of a seedy club for playing the wrong note? (I know there’s no wrong notes in jazz, just roll with me here.)

Stephen Schnetzer, Johnny Anthony, Dan Grimaldi, Ian Lithgow

But indeed such a seizure happened to legendary comedian Lenny Bruce in San Francisco at the Jazz Workshop in 1961. Arrested for obscenity, he was tried in California, but that case ended in a deadlocked jury and an eventual acquittal. Then in NYC, cops arrested him on new, separate obscenity charges. The ensuing trial, The People vs. Lenny Bruce, would go on to be a landmark freedom of speech case.

Johnny Anthony and Stephen Schnetzer

Which brings us to Theatre Row, where The People Versus Lenny Bruce by Susan Charlotte brings dramatic life to the trial as narrated by Martin Garbus, the lawyer who takes up Lenny’s case.

Stephen Schnetzer, Johnny Anthony, Roberta Wallach

While framed as a memory of a courtroom drama, the theatricality of a trial is the perfect place to examine words, meaning, context, and the comedian’s role in society. With comedians coming under constant fire, being assaulted at award shows, and making comebacks from cancellation (I’m looking at you, Louie), now is a perfect time to swear in a figure such as Bruce for a thorough cross-examination.

Stephen Schnetzer, Johnny Anthony, Timothy Doyle, Ian Lithgow, Dan Grimaldi

Directed by Antony Marsellis, the testimony can become tedious; Ms. Charlotte has a lot to cover, and this dramatization goes a bit in circles, so the play drags and meanders quite often. But stay sharp for some zingers and exchanges between defendant and detractors. And some delightful witnesses are brought in to testify (Timothy Doyle as Jules Feiffer, Dan Grimaldi as Herbert Ruhe, Ian Lithgow as Richard H. Kuh, Jonathan Spivey as Forrest Johnson, and Roberta Wallach as Dorothy Kilgallen). Still, one too many scenes following the trial drags the resolution and 90-minute runtime.

Johnny Anthony, Timothy Doyle, Jonathan Spivey

Inhabiting Martin Garbus, who also quotes the offstage judge in asides to the audience, Stephen Schnetzer is pensive and ponderous, inviting us into this front row seat to Lenny’s deconstruction (it’s clear the deck is stacked against the comic: the license inspector is lying about Lenny stroking a microphone lasciviously, but no one seems to care). Balancing professional respect for Bruce with personal affection, Schnetzer’s Martin counters Lenny’s courtroom antics well, even joining in occasionally.

Jonathan Spivey, Johnny Anthony, Roberta Wallach, Timothy Doyle, Stephen Schnetzer

Johnny Anthony’s take on the eponymous comedian is much deeper than a simple imitation; he is smooth and liquid yet focused. If all the world’s a stage, we meet Bruce in his most primetime spot, fighting for his life and livelihood. Anthony’s performance captures Lenny’s urgency while taking moments to recognize the absurdity of being dragged into court over words, and struggling with being denied a chance to perform his act in court. After all, how can his act be judged by someone who’s never seen it?

Johnny Anthony and Stephen Schnetzer

The People Versus Lenny Bruce takes patience to get through, but a hearty examination of language plays out in a courtroom drama with endearing performances. Make your stand with Lenny for speech and for art, and remember—it’s just words.

Johnny Anthony

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photos by Russ Rowland

The People Versus Lenny Bruce
Cause Célèbre Productions
Theatre Row (Theatre Four), 410 West 42nd Street
90 minutes, no intermission
Tues-Fri at 7:30; Sat at 2 & 7:30; Sun at 3
ends on June 28, 2026
for tickets ($65–$155), visit Cause Célèbre

on select dates, post-show discussion participants, including Lisa Lampanelli,
Martin Garbus, and Michael J. Osgood, join playwright Susan Charlotte

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