LA Times Review Loudon Wainwright III Surviving Twin

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Review: 'Loudon Wainwright III: Surviving Twin' blurs the lines between father and son

By Robert Lloyd
| Television Critic |
 
Singer Loudon Wainwright III stars in his one-man show, "Surviving Twin," which premiered on Netflix on November 13.

In his one-man show "Surviving Twin," first performed in 2013, singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III created a "a posthumous collaboration" with his father, Life magazine columnist Loudon Wainwright Jr., alternating his songs with his old man's essays.

A story of love and competition, the show has been recorded for posterity as a Netflix special, directed by Christopher Guest and executive produced by Judd Apatow, the latter of whom has used the singer as an actor in his TV series "Undeclared" and the movie "Knocked Up," which also included his songs on the soundtrack. (The actor Daniel Stern directed “Twin” for the stage.)

In his one-man show "Surviving Twin," first performed in 2013, singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III created a "a posthumous collaboration" with his father, Life magazine columnist Loudon Wainwright Jr., alternating his songs with his old man's essays.

A story of love and competition, the show has been recorded for posterity as a Netflix special, directed by Christopher Guest and executive produced by Judd Apatow, the latter of whom has used the singer as an actor in his TV series "Undeclared" and the movie "Knocked Up," which also included his songs on the soundtrack. (The actor Daniel Stern directed “Twin” for the stage.)

Wainwright, who studied acting and directing at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Tech (before it was Carnegie Mellon), has a decent string of screen credits, including "Big Fish," "Parks and Recreation," "The 40-Year Old Virgin," Guest's "For Your Consideration" and the TV series "M.A.S.H.," on which he briefly had a recurring role. That is to say, he can remember lines and deliver them with intention.

Filmed at North Hollywood's El Portal Theatre before an audience not entirely of Wainwright's generation — he turned 72 in September and is fit and in fine voice — the show premiered on Netflix on Tuesday.

At stage right, there's a piano, with a ukulele case atop it. At center, upon a patterned carpet, a table (holding a water glass and carafe), a chair flanked by stands for guitar and banjo, and a rack for a suit, which will eventually make its way onto the singer's body. Stage left, there’s a video screen.

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The studio recording of Surviving Twin will be released on StorySound Records on November 16.

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