Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III reflects upon his unique relationship with his father in an evening of original songs and heartfelt stories in Surviving Twin. He will perform one show at Bristol Riverside Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.
A solo piece many years in the making, Surviving Twin is what the singer-songwriter calls a “posthumous collaboration” with his writer father. Part concert, part dramatic reading, part family slideshow, it is a hybrid theatrical form consisting mainly of songs written by Wainwright III, along with readings of magazine columns written by his late father, Loudon Wainwright Jr., and photographs that span four generations of the Wainwright clan.
Despite a troubled past in this father-son relationship, Wainwright III has carefully chosen, arranged and rehearsed these pieces, taking the best of his own and linking them with samples of his father’s best self, then bringing them to a polish with the help of director Joseph Haj and UNC Playmakers Rep.
Wainwright Jr. was most widely known as an editor and columnist for LIFE. In 1963, he started the magazine’s first personal column “The View From Here” which, despite interruptions, he was still writing up until his death in 1988.
Wainwright III is a singer-songwriter, actor and published author. He has recorded more than 26 albums including the 2010 Grammy Award-winning High, Wide & Handsome.
Tickets are $45 and are available by visiting brtstage.org or calling the box office at 215-785-0100. Bristol Riverside Theatre is located at 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol.
