My overall impression
This show reaaally was fantastic. Bill Ratner grew up in a family steeped in the 60s advertising glamor of Mad Men and the glitz of Hollywood showbiz, and the intersection of these two spheres in his life creates a pretty fascinating story. Things like how his the arrival of a new stepmother changed the whole dynamic of his family and family tragedies are injected with really uplifting wonderful humor. Also, he’s a professional voice-actor, so just listening to his booming, sonorous voice for a long time is pretty fun. He opens up about some very intimate times in his life and makes himself extremely vulnerable to the audience, yet completely maintains complete control and nuance in his performance, which is something that really distinguishes him as an exquisite story teller. It’s a really life-affirming, poignant, hilarious show. I loved it.
