It's a pretty simple set-up — a man, a desk, a glass of water. In this kind of spartan setting, Mike Daisey better have something to say.

He does.

Mike Daisey is "the master storyteller—one of the finest solo performers of his generation," according to the New York Times and many others. He is the current king of the monologue, telling hilarious, insightful and heartbreaking stories — all of them largely unscripted — that cover a dizzying range of topics.

His mix of intellect and edgy energy can be seen as "a cross between Noam Chomsky and Jack Black" (Seattle Times), or maybe "between Spalding Gray and Robin Williams" (New York Post). Or even "Jackie Gleason meets Kafka" (Berkeley Repertory Theater). Variety calls him "the History Channel, the best of public radio, and the most entertaining guy at the bar, but much, much better."

In the past decade, Daisey has performed his monologues at the Public Theater, the Spoleto Festival and Yale Repertory Theatre, and been featured on the Late Show with David Letterman and National Public Radio. For Seven Days of Opening Nights, Daisey will perform his original piece, Monopoly, which weaves together the conflict between Thomas Edison and Nicola Tesla, Microsoft's anti-trust suit, the secret history of the board game Monopoly, and the only retailer left in Daisey's home town: Wal-Mart.

The critics had a lot to say about Monopoly, all of it good:

• Boston Globe: "A sharp-witted, passionately delivered talk about matters both small and huge, at once utterly individual and achingly universal."
• New York Times: "Relentlessly interesting . . . a brilliantly spun narrative. His show is ultimately about the messy and often unjust process of making official history. He fights back the best way he knows how—by telling even better stories."
• Seattle Times: "Layering outrage, official and underground history, personal memoir and rollicking humor, Daisey makes you think, feel and question. And he makes you laugh — hearty laughter, cathartic and barbed. Spellbinding."

http://www.mikedaisey.com