Dialogue with Three Chords Presents THE LAST DAYS OF THE BRAVE AND BOLD Tonight

Dialogue with Three Chords stages an imagined conversation between William Marston, creator of the DC Comics heroine Wonder Woman and Dr. Frederic Wertham, champion of comic book censorship in "The Last Days of the Brave and Bold " from playwright Stephen Gracia. The short play is directed by Michael LoPorto as is the curtain raiser monologue, "A People's History of Super Heroism." The performance is tonight, March 28 at 8pm downstairs at Mr. Dennehy's pub on 63 Carmine Street in Manhattan. Admission is free with $3 suggested donation.

"The Last Days of The Brave & Bold" uses the backdrop of early McCarthyism as the setting for a debate about censorship, employing two notorious figures in the comic book world. It is set shortly before Dr. Frederic Wetham would release his infamous book "Seduction of the Innocent" where he claimed comic books were eroding the moral compass of at-risk youths. William Marton takes the opposing view on freedom of speech. He vociferously defends his depiction of Wonder Woman as a force for good, showing readers an empowered yet feminine ideal of a woman.

"I am, telling a comic book story about real people, and it's intimate. Two men in a room, arguing about which one is the villain," explains Gracia, "both are trying to do good. Each is destructive in the other's eyes."

The play is presented with the curtain-raiser monologue "A People's History of Super heroism" which is a part of Gracia's ongoing series of monologues which deal with real or imagined experiences of alien abduction.

"All the monologues are spoken by the abductees, and it's important to understand that they completely believe these stories," says Gracia. "They wake up knowing that some kind of malicious presence waits just beyond our stars. Or, in a life where they are miserable, abused, neglected...someone out there knows they are special and visits them as a comfort and a validation."

'The Last Days of The Brave & Bold" features Larry Greenbush as Dr. Frederic Wertham and Steven Weinblatt as William Marston. 'When I Dream I See Strange Men: A People's History of Super Heroism' features Sean Meehan.

Dialogue with Three Chords was founded in 2011 by Stephen Gracia and Michael LoPorto and applies the do-it-yourself philosophy of punk to the stage and features short plays and live music. Their work has also been produced at Sargent Theatre, Makor Theater, DUMBO Theatre Exchange, Levenson Hall at Brooklyn College, and the Theaters at 45 Bleecker.

More information on Dialogue with Three Chords can be found at: www.dthreec.org.

Need more Off-Off-Broadway Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...