David Dean Bottrell cannot yet accept his death

David Dean Bottrell brings his two one-man shows Dear Mr Bottrell, I cannot possibly accept this and “The Death of Me Yet” in preparation for the premiere of “The Matrix” on July 10, 2024. David was kind enough to take the time during his rehearsals to answer some of my questions.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, David!

It’s a pleasure, Gil. Thanks for wanting to know more about the shows! I’m super proud of them.

What factors influenced the decision to perform “Dear Mr. Bottrell, I Cannot Possibly Accept This” and “The Death of Me Yet” at the Matrix Theater?

The wonderful Rogue Machine Theatre Company (housed at the Matrix) invited me in January this year to perform one of my most ambitious shows, My deathfor a short five-show engagement. To our surprise, all five shows sold out and received rave reviews. We immediately started talking about an encore and possibly bringing my other show, Dear Mr. Bottrell, I Cannot Possibly Accept This, to LA. In the end, we decided to bring them both. It’s a lot of work, but we’re all up for the adventure.

When did you write both shows?

Both shows were written in the spring and summer of 2023. And both were performed at the Pangea Cabaret in New York in the fall of that year. It all happened very quickly. Like many artists, I procrastinate, grieve, and complain for months, but once I start writing, the process is usually pretty quick.

Was COVID isolation the inspiration for “The Death of Me”?

Absolutely. New York was the first epicenter of COVID in the U.S., and it was awful. It felt like a terrible sci-fi movie come to life. The messages were so stark: Stay indoors. Avoid each other. Cover your face. And as it spread across the country, I think we all became aware of our morals. I realized that life is happening now. So stop making excuses. This show had been whispering in my ear for years. I just knew it was the right time. And the best part was that the show was pretty funny. Except when it isn’t.

What is your three-line pitch for each of your shows?

Okay, I love a challenge. Dear Mr. Bottrell, I just can’t accept it. This is about those moments in life when you just “get over it.” You know you can’t carry on as before. You just have to change lanes. My death is about facing the end. It consists of five interwoven stories about my encounters (and near encounters) with what we call death. Hmmm? This seems like a good time to reiterate that both shows are very funny.

Your shows are basically one-man shows since there is no director listed in the credits, right?

I worked with a wonderful director, Guy Stroman, for a couple of years, but he wasn’t available when it came to doing the shows in New York. He was very encouraging and said, “You don’t really need me. Just tell the truth.” I panicked at first, but it was too late to bring in someone new, so I just took it. I listened to the audience and they kind of told me what to do. So yeah, it’s definitely a one-man show.

This isn’t your first time with Rogue Machine. Your David Dean Bottrell Makes Love: A One-Man Show played there to a sold-out audience in 2011. How did you first get in touch with Rogue Machine?

It was Andrew Carlberg, a young producer who is now an Oscar winner! He had worked with Rogue and out of the blue the show became a huge underground hit. We only did one show a week but it was almost always sold out. I think we ended up running for thirty or forty weeks, I can’t remember exactly. Unbelievable! That show changed my life.

I remember seeing “Streep Tease: An Evening of Meryl Streep Monologues” at BANG in 2009 before it had its New York premiere at Joe’s Pub in 2010. Awesome!!! What are your memories of that show? Did Meryl ever see it or comment on it?

That was another LA cult classic that I was lucky enough to be a part of. That show ran for four years in LA, usually to sold-out crowds. I loved that it wasn’t a drag show and we really treated it like a big, dignified tribute. The cast was hilarious. Playing Meryl/”Karen Blixen” in Out of Africa was one of the highlights of my career. At the top of the list was playing “Lincoln” in Boston Legal. Meryl never saw the show, but I know her lawyers and agents came. She was asked about it in an interview once and said something like, “I hear it’s funny, but I have no real interest in watching a show that’s about me.” I thought that was a very polite response.

You co-wrote Dearly Departed with Jessie Jones, which was adapted into a film version of Kingdom Come in 2001 with Whoopi Goldberg. What are your memories of that whole endeavor?

It was a tough experience in many ways. It was my first time in the big leagues of off-Broadway and Hollywood, and I was a little surprised to learn that as the budget goes up, so does the number of cooks in the kitchen. But it was a great education. And the original play has been performed about a million times around the world, so it made a lot of people happy. And I made some money.

How many new projects are brewing in your creative mind?

I have a lot of stuff on my desk, but next up is a musical that I’m creating with a wonderful composer and lyricist, Amy Engelhardt, who is insanely talented! We’re adapting a very cool piece of material. I can’t believe we got the rights, but we did, so here we go!

What does the near future hold for David Dean Bottrell?

Right now I’m concentrating on rehearsing those shows! I hope all nine shows are sold out. I’m also bringing one of the shows to Nantucket in August, which will be really fun. And I’m waiting for news on that TV appearance that might be squeezed in during the summer. Fingers crossed.

Thanks again, David! I look forward to seeing you on the Matrix stage.

Thank you, Gil. I’m really glad you’re coming. You’ll have a great time!

For tickets to Dear Mr. Bottrell, I Cannot Possible Accept This and The Death of Me Yet through July 21, 2024, click the button below:

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