His voice projects every emotion imaginable in a matter of seconds...fear, confusion, sarcasm, irony, sadness, hope, happiness, etc., etc. Spalding Gray is a different kind of performer, a man whose monologues have continued to enthrall and inspire me ever since I first came across them. In "Monster in a Box", Gray recounts the years he spent writing a massive nearly 2,000 page semi autobiographical novel after his mother's suicide. Constantly being sidetracked by his own, absurd misadventures, Gray's life becomes a whirlwind of comic mischief and insightful self reflection.
This piece allows the viewer to get inside the head of one of the performing arts' most underrated geniuses. Gray thankfully left his mark on the world before unfortunately deciding to have his own experience with suicide, one that be rid America of one of its greatest, funniest, and most unique talents. "Monster in a Box" is among his very best work as it combines all of the elements that made his work so fantastic and entertaining, particularly his humor and heart. Often outwardly wacky and quirkily comical, this film also contains moments of subtle poignancy. Whether this is truly a tragedy or a comedy by nature is up to the audience to decide. From my perspective, it further proves my ongoing theory that life is neither tragedy nor comedy, but rather a whirlwind of those two emotions; two emotions that aren't as clearly defined as we seem to think they are, two emotions far more similar than they appear.
