“The Mushroom Cure”: A Hilarious Ride through OCD, at The Marsh, Berkeley
Adam Strauss Takes Us on a Fabulous, Perceptive Trip!
by Kevin Marley and Barry David Horwitz
We find comedians a trip. Now imagine a tripping comedian. Adam Strauss brings his New York Fringe Festival Award-winning “Mushroom Cure” show to The Marsh—and he is laugh out-loud funny. Adam opens our “doors of perception,” with the stories of his suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which he recounts with great good humor and charm. After we hear about his distressing experiences with perfectionism and indecision, we feel like we know a new, worthwhile friend.
The horrors of “analysis-paralysis” hit hard as Adam depicts disturbing scenes of his own neurotic indecision. His hyperbolic anxiety rings as true, genuine, and heartfelt. We happily open ourselves up to his fast-paced, witty humor. “The Mushroom Cure” recounts Adam’s finding a scientific study claiming that hallucinogenic mushrooms may cure obsessive-compulsive disorder. Adam rolls hilariously with that news. Actually, he is on the cutting edge of research urged by MAPS, an association for Psychedelic Studies.
Strauss, a professional comedian from the Big Apple, seeks relief through therapies and drugs, finally pursuing psychedelic mushrooms as a pathway to health. The comedy of his life is witty and face-paced, the portrayals of his suffering heartrending.
He screws up lots of relations, until he finds his “perfect” girlfriend from Kansas, who shines like a light for him. His involvement with her comes to a funny and prophetic outcome.
It is a joy to partake of Adam Strauss’s “Mushroom Cure.” Adam’s intense scenes of confused anxiety and rapid-fire comedy evoke our emotional involvement to the very end. The time flies by like a mind trip—there’s a lot to learn and enjoy.
Adam is a non-pharmaceutical source of pleasure—a cure for dismay in himself. He’s a Life Cure—so, take a big dose of Adam Strauss and his funny, gripping, and uplifting story. He knows how to how to analyze, how to live, and laugh at himself. Let’s see it, again.
“The Mushroom Cure” written and performed by Adam Strauss, directed by Jonathan Libman, at The Marsh, Berkeley, Fridays & Saturdays, through Saturday, March 30, 2019. Info: themarsh.org
Cast: Adam Strauss
Also check out: Epic Personal Story of Psychedelic Quest