SuperHappyMelancholyexpialidocious

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Something That Feels Better Than This

Following on the coat tails of his award-winning top ten hit, Losing My Religion: Confessions of a New Age Refugee, Seth Lepore continues unraveling the absurd dogma of the new age.

SuperHappyMelancholyexpialidocious is a stranger-than-fiction satire about the war on thought. The underbelly of the self-help movement is exposed turning the happiness industry on its head to reveal the farcical ideology of the positive thinking movement. Think you know happiness? Think again!

From Texas megachurches turned motivational hothouses, to the latest testament of self-actualization from Oprah's Book Club, nothing is safe from Lepore's scrutinizing looking glass.

Lepore uses his shrewd observations of our fascinating hang-ups with happiness to expose the true cost of this ongoing pursuit. He weaves his all too real characters into the fold using a chameleon-like agility to shape-shift on a dime. Interspersed with autobiographical scenes Lepore creates theater that pushes the envelope of what solo performance is capable of.

"Not since Voltaire's hilarious bashing of the quixotic hero named Optimism… has anyone taken such a serious, and humorous, vendetta against looking on the bright side, as has Seth Lepore... Part Friedrich Nietzsche, part Jim Carrey, Lepore is sharp and challenging and funny and will help keep you honest and light-hearted around your own search for peace and happiness." -Flavorpill

“Lepore ‘s impressions are fantastically entertaining, and [SuperHappy] has Lepore showing off even more of his physical agility.” -vita.mn 

“[Lepore] moved effortlessly from hilariously funny to heart-breakingly poignant, as amalgamated characters, as well as himself in deeply raw vulnerability.” -WKVT 

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Cast + crew

Seth Lepore
Role: Writer/ Performer
Since 1996 Lepore has created over seven one-man shows. In 2010 he embarked on a trilogy of solo shows about the underbelly of the self-help movement. The first installment, Losing My Religion: Confessions of a New Age Refugee, has been self-produced in black box theaters and fringe festivals throughout the country.

Losing My Religion... won an Encore Award at both the Boulder and Minnesota Fringe Festivals as well as garnering a spot on Jay Gabler's top ten shows of 2011. SuperHappyMelancholyexpialidocious began touring in March 2012 and will soon be joined by the final installment, Kicking Ass and Taking Names.


More info is available at http://sethums.com

Write a review

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User reviews

A spoonful of sugar...
by Valerie Stachour
Rating 3 stars
is needed to make this show go down. I wanted to like it, but I needed a little time to process each segment before Seth switched characters, and the rapid pace of the show didn't allow for it. I did think the ending was well done. Maybe I needed to have seen the previous show?

Cat calls
by Michael Krefting
Rating 5 stars
Seth Lepore was amazing. His true to life experiences are brought to the stage in this second installment of what I understand to be a trilogy. I'd call it a must see. But you can't now. Too late.

One-man dynamo
by Publius McGee
Rating 4 stars
Seamlessly going from character to character without break or fumble, this is what Seth Lepore does best. I didn't find the story particularly compelling or deep, but the show was well done and fun to watch.

Made me happy
by Cato Brutus
Rating 5 stars
We had a terrible start to the day, but Seth turned it around for me. He has a talent for making every motion count, and he seamlessly morphs from character to character. There's never a wasted gesture, and his ending was surprisingly sober and nuanced.

That boy needs therapy
by Fringivitis Vulgaris
Rating 4 stars
Seth Lepore does Therapy Theater, and he does it well. He's clearly been around the self-improvement scene and gathered the ludicrous bits. He did a very good job of portraying several characters within a scene, using his "rubber face" to good effect. Kinda wanted to bring him chocolate bacon when it was over.

Interesting
by Sara Saenz
Rating 4 stars
There were a couple monologues that went on for a touch too long, but overall, I really enjoyed this show. His knack for switching characters is truly a gift. The show was best when he was talking about his own experience. The premise was cool.

Substantial comedy
by Rick Treece
Rating 5 stars
This was hilarious, but also deep and thought-provoking. Seth Lepore has done his research, and his comedy has a compelling academic thesis underlying it.

I'm not sure why it says 16 and up. I think I'd bring a precocious 12-year-old to this. A couple of things might require some PG, but using art to create "teachable moments" is just good parenting. It's never too early to start learning how to recognize a charlatan.

Belabored
by Mariellen Jacobson
Rating 2 stars
Some funny and insightful observations on the emptiness of the self-help movement, and a carefully-crafted script, but it felt belabored to me. It sagged in places, especially in the segment with the “God wants you to be happy and prosperous” preacher, where the audience didn’t seem to know how to respond. I was ready to leave about half-way through.

Bipolar?
by Eric Wentling
Rating 4 stars
A one-man show about depression. Funnier than it sounds. The actor talks periodically about his own issues with depression, but takes on the personas of various self-help and religious talking-heads to show the scope of dealing with this problem. Sad, humorous, concerning. I felt the show made me think, and Lepore has amazing range.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy.
by Dean Hatton
Rating 4 stars
Some good writing performed by a charismatic and highly expressive actor.

Lots of substance here
by Florence Brammer
Rating 3 stars
Lepore's "Losing My Religion" was one of my favorite Fringe shows last year. Lenore presents another meticulously written and expertly performed show examining self-help techniques for "finding happiness." There was something challenging about staying attentive to this show; I don't know if it was because of the intensity of the writing or the similar tone of the characters or what, but for some reason parts of the hour seemed to lag and lose focus (or maybe only I lost focus?) I was moved by and appreciative of Lepore's more personal, out-of-character remarks at the end.

We're depressed
by Matlisa Semrad
Rating 0 stars
It felt like channel surfing through self help programs. We do not recommend this show.

Smart and Honest
by Rebekah Rentzel
Rating 5 stars
This meditation on happiness was a breath of fresh air this Fringe. Seth Lepore deftly shifts between a variety of characters and, like a good episode of This American Life, presents a series of stories that resonate together nicely.

One of my favorites so far . . . .
by Shawny Sena
Rating 5 stars
I found this show highly engaging, thought provoking, and deeply personal. Seth's writing and acting are great in this piece, and he plays with the one person show format in a way I found intriguing. Definitely worth while.

Not as Super Happy as I expected
by Bradley Johnson
Rating 3 stars
I loved Seth in "Losing My Religion", so I was so looking forward to his new show. He is very talented and the show was good, just not great. Would have loved to hear more of his personal story. What he did share was touching.

depression is hilarious
by Gemma Irish
Rating 4 stars
This show is superbly funny even as it makes you cringe with the realization that half of what Seth is telling you is pretty effed up. I would have loved even more of his personal story, but the million and one other characters he plays are interesting, too.

Strong Performance
by Nancy Paul
Rating 4 stars
Seth does a great job of portraying several characters with precision. Great humor that culminates in an honest moment that ties it all together. Well worth a slot in your schedule.

Wow!
by Jennifer Abbey
Rating 5 stars
This show was supercalifragilisticexpealadocious! Seth is hilarious, smart, and fantastic on stage. I really recommend his show.

Virtuoso acting
by
Rating 3 stars
Great acting, show is well worth checking out. Slows down in spots - like all monologues, needs some spark. But the characters he portrays are dead on and funny, evocative.

There's a grizzly around the corner
by Dave Romm
Rating 3 stars
A cathartic show for Seth, one hopes, though his observations on depression and therapy didn't strike home all the time. Some nice skits about selling happiness and falling in line with expectations strung together by a personal narrative. The energy level in his Showcase excerpt was great but unsustained for an hour. The higher energy sections of the one-man show were the best. Three and a half stars, rounded down. A Shockwave Radio Theater Review.

Both Happy and Melancholy
by John Hatlestad
Rating 4 stars
A great actor with a compelling one-man show!

Lots of short skits strung together, which worked for me. A little heavy at times with the personal information (well, hey, I am a Norwegian, so that's probably just me), but the end result was funny and thought-provoking. Great fringe fair.

Exquisite acting, thinky & funny
by Robyn Hendrix
Rating 5 stars
Exquisite acting, very thought provoking and hilarious. Moments of frank honesty about depression interspersed with ridiculously funny caricature-ish portrayals of self help gurus, religious leaders, tv show hosts, overenthusiastic cashiers, & much more. Seth's ability to move swiftly between many different characters with an expressiveness that is effective and not overdone or forced reminds me of Christopher Kehoe, who you may have seen in "Monster" and "St. Christopher of Financial Aid" in previous Fringes. Definitely worth checking out.