''Monster in a Box'' is a

monologue In theatre, a monologue (also known as monolog in North American English) (in , from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts ...

originally performed live on stage by the writer

Spalding Gray Spalding Gray (June 5, 1941 – ) was an American actor, novelist, playwright, screenwriter and performance artist. He is best known for the autobiographical monologues that he wrote and performed for the theater in the 1980s and 1990s, as well ...

then subsequently made into a 1992 film starring Gray and directed by

Nick Broomfield Nicholas Broomfield (born 1948) is an English documentary film director. His self-reflective style has been regarded as influential to many later filmmakers. In the early 21st century, he began to use non-actors in scripted works, which he call ...

. A follow-up to Gray's earlier work, ''

Swimming to Cambodia ''Swimming to Cambodia'', also known as ''Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia'', is a 1987 American concert film written by and starring Spalding Gray, and directed by Jonathan Demme. The performance film is of Gray's play and monologue, which c ...

'', the work consists of a long-form monologue by Gray detailing the trials and tribulations he encountered while writing his

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''

Impossible Vacation ''Impossible Vacation'' is a 1992 debut novel written by Spalding Gray. The novel is based on Gray's monologue that he performed in the film ''Monster in a Box''. Overview Following his mother's suicide, a man named Brewster North travels the wo ...

''. The soundtrack for the film was composed by

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

. A book version of the monologue was published in 1992.

Reception

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' magazine praised the film saying, "''Monster in a Box'' is subtly and intricately woven and often very funny."

References

External links

* 1992 films Concert films Films directed by Nick Broomfield 1992 drama films One-character films Films scored by Laurie Anderson 1990s English-language films English-language documentary films {{1990s-drama-film-stub