Rites of Privacy
David Rhodes returns to Moving Parts Theater writing and performing Rites of Privacy - a solo performance piece about the liberation of revealing deeply suppressed secrets. Previously Rhodes impressed audiences and critics with his acclaimed portrayal of the obsessed Hayden Peters in Clay Chapman's Lovers and Other Stranglers. In Rites of Privacy Rhodes begins his journey as himself, but quickly shifts gears (and costumes) to portray an array of burdened characters virtually aching to get things off their chests. Amongst them are a fading Southern pageant queen, an aging refugee from Nazi Germany, a fish-out-of-water Jew in New Hampshire, a suburban doctor in a predicament and a Euro-club-kid with an unsavory edge. Throughout Rhodes alternates these characters with candid stories from his own experience, ultimately seeking a place of clarity and authenticity in his creative and personal life.

Charles Loffredo directs, and Greg Emetaz provides a scenic environment comprised of projections that reflect the show's themes.

Rites of Privacy enjoyed a successful and critically acclaimed run at Urban Stages Theater in Manhattan in late summer 2007.  Its London premiere in January 2010 at the New End Theatre was equally lauded.  It returns to NYC in August 2010 as part of The New York International Fringe Festival.

For more info please visit the official Rites of Privacy website

Praise for RITES OF PRIVACY:

"RITES OF PRIVACY's 90 minutes offer a colourful collection of vignettes.  The theme of parallel lives and the rift between seeming and being is deftly linked with the notion of dressing up. The motif of a concealed existence echoes the secrecy in which many Jews historically have been forced to practice their faith. Rhodes, bright-eyed and agile, is an engaging performer."  - The London Times 
 
“In his one-man show, David Rhodes sings, dances, and portrays five characters, each with a secret to tell.  Ranging from a genteel Southern widow, to a New Hampshire fisherman to an elderly refugee from Nazi Germany, they allow for an array of joyfully employed dialects, outfits, and wigs, which Rhodes sheds between scenes in order to tell stories from his own life, warmly delivered” - The New Yorker
 
"When David Rhodes was a boy, he tells us, blusher brush in hand, he and his friend liked to play ‘dress up’; their parents were horrified, but here he is 40 years later, still at it. Now, however, he does it in public, and as he dons various outfits to tell us the secrets of a variety of modern Jews, his issues with privacy take on heft and definition. ...Rhodes’ ability to talk frankly about his own life as the closeted son of an abusive Freudian psychiatrist, then switch instantly and convincingly into another person, is extremely impressive." - Time Out London CRITIC'S CHOICE

“… A magnetic and exciting work of theatre… “Rites of Privacy” offers plenty of food for thought on its tantalizing main subjects of privacy, secrecy, rituals, and transformation; and it introduces us (inside and out) not only to a mesmerizing and talented actor but to a compelling collection of characters who have much to teach us about the powerful lure and danger of not telling.” – NYTheatre.com

“… During "Rites of Privacy," performer-writer David Rhodes seems genuinely in control… Clarinda Delaboise, Rhodes' towering Georgian lady, harbors a nasty secret about her husband's death. The eventual revelation isn't vile or mean-spirited -- it's just sad, and it illuminates this armor-plated character, holding up to the light the things that can embarrass her enough to penetrate her defenses. Rhodes seems to know that Clarinda is both grand and a little silly, and to love her excesses.
… There's a character known only by his personal ad handle, boi4u2use... He's an immigrant from Belgium…who finds the love of his life in the New York club scene…the eventual tragedy that befalls the young man and his boyfriend is genuinely touching.” – Variety

“… A transcendent moment early on in “Rites of Privacy,” when one of the characters mimes playing the harp while singing Noël Coward's syrupy anthem "I'll Follow My Secret Heart." Fingers twirling, voice aquiver with tremolo, caricature is transcended to reveal an inner essence with a ridiculous force, something artists like Charles Ludlam knew to be a pathway into pathos.” – Backstage