Mike Lemme

Following its critically acclaimed and award nominated run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world, 'Before The Drugs Kick In' recently wrapped its fourth New York City extension. A 62-year-old woman in an insane asylum closes her eyes and becomes a 28-year-old stand-up comedian with everyone in the audience being part of her imagination. Inspired by personal experience, the delivery (not material) of Dave Chappelle, Christopher Nolan films, Netflix's Russian Doll and HBO's Hacks, the show is an intimate blend of stand-up, theatre and time travel starring NYC comedian and actor Maria DeCotis (Broadway, Vogue, Rolling Stone) as comedian Lynn T. Walsh.  'Before The Drugs Kick In' made its world premiere at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to multiple five and four star reviews while being nominated for two of the festival's biggest awards, the BBC Writersroom Popcorn Award for Best New Writing and the Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award. The play is dedicated to anyone, especially young mothers of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, who society wrote off as crazy instead of giving them an opportunity to live. Content Warning: Before The Drugs Kick In contains distressing themes with strong language and mentions of suicide but it's also full of punchlines too.

‘Before The Drugs Kick In’ returns to NYC for its 4th extension and Off-Broadway debut at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater near Union Square for 8 performances only from June 19th - 30th! Come experience an intimate blend of stand-up, theatre and time travel. 🎟️: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/before-the-drugs-kick-in-tickets-921561313697?aff=youtube A 62 year old woman in an insane asylum closes her eyes and becomes a 28 year old stand-up comedian with everyone in the audience being part of her imagination. ‘Its ability to balance humor and emotion is truly remarkable...this is a masterpiece that showcases theatre in its finest form.’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - EdFest Reviews ‘Before The Drugs Kick In’ made its world premiere at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe where it was nominated for two of the festivals biggest awards; the BBC Writersroom Popcorn Award for Best New Writing and the Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award. This is the play’s 4th New York City extension!

Extended and moving back to Manhattan! ‘Before The Drugs Kick In’ starring Maria DeCotis will extend for a third time with 8 performances at THEATERLAB starting on Friday, March 15th at 7pm. Come experience an intimate blend of stand-up, theatre and time travel from the mind of Lynn T. Walsh. Tickets: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1192904 A 62 year old woman in an insane asylum closes her eyes and becomes a 28 year old stand-up comedian with everyone in the audience being part of her imagination. ‘a riveting, empathetic, and darkly funny exploration of mental health and its (mis)treatments...DeCotis delivers a positively spellbinding turn.’ - Thinking Theater NYC ‘Before The Drugs Kick In’ made its world premiere at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to multiple five and four star reviews while being nominated for two of the festival’s biggest awards, the BBC Writersroom Popcorn Award for Best New Writing and the Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award. The play is written and directed by comedian and playwright Mike Lemme with movement direction by Mandy Gordon. Presented by THEATERLAB’s TLAB SHARES, this will be the show’s third New York City extension following 10 performances at UNDER St. Marks and 15 performances at the Court Square Theater. TLAB Shares invites a curated selection of guest artists to produce their work at affordable rates. Applications for TLAB Shares are accepted on a rolling basis and should be emailed to theaterlab36 at gmail dot com Content Warning: Before The Drugs Kick In contains distressing themes with strong language and mentions of suicide but it's also full of punchlines too. Friday, 3/15 - 7pm Saturday, 3/16 - 7pm Sunday, 3/17 - 4pm Friday, 3/22 - 7pm Saturday, 3/23 - 7pm Sunday, 3/24 - 4pm Friday, 3/29 - 7pm Saturday, 3/30 - 7pm Doors open 15 minutes before showtime Runtime: 70 minutes THEATERLAB 357 W 36th Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10018

Sit back and enjoy your trip. London Tickets: https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/lynn-t-walsh-before-the-drugs-kick-in Edinburgh Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/before-the-drugs-kick-in State College + NYC links available soon!

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Edinburgh Fringe: August 4th - 26th (12:55pm week 1-3, originally week 3 shows were scheduled to begin at 1:55pm. All shows will now begin at 12:55pm and run for 50 minutes) Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/before-the-drugs-kick-in London Preview Performances: July 28th + 29th, 9pm at Barons Court Theatre tixs: https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/lynn-t-walsh-before-the-drugs-kick-in A 62-year-old woman in an insane asylum closes her eyes and becomes a 28-year-old stand-up comedian. But not just any stand-up comedian, a comedian who had the potential to become the greatest of all time. 'Before The Drugs Kick In' is a rare, intimate blend of stand-up comedy and theatre giving the audience access to a voice that could have provided the world with decades of laughs and cultural commentary, if we never locked her away. 'Before The Drugs Kick In' uses the magical elements of stand-up comedy, theatre plus nostalgia to rewrite history in hopes of creating a little closure and comfort before the lights go out. Inspired by personal experience, the delivery of Dave Chappelle, Netflix’s Russian Doll, HBO's Hacks, the show is a tribute to anyone, especially young mothers of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, who society wrote off as crazy instead of giving them an opportunity to live. The show contains distressing themes with strong language. It is recommended for anyone over the age of 18 or 16, if their family is a mess. Maria DeCotis will make her London and Edinburgh debut bringing Lynn T. Walsh to life in 'Before The Drugs Kick In'. DeCotis recently made her Broadway debut as Mike Birbiglia’s understudy for The New One. She is a New York City based comedian, actress, and writer featured in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue, plus many more. Her work has been shared by Ben Stiller, Stephen Colbert, Natasha Lyonne and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Recent credits include Comedy Central, HBO's Women in Comedy Festival, the New York Comedy Festival. To find out more about Maria, you can follow her on Instagram, Twitter (@MariaDeCotis) visit her website (mariadecotis.com). 'Before The Drugs Kick In' is written, directed, produced by NYC comedian and playwright Mike Lemme, who made his Edinburgh debut in 2022 with his play Bathroom of a Bar on Bleecker (‘enthralling … a raw outpouring of comedy and drama’ *****, The Wee Review). Lemme started performing stand-up at the appropriate age of 14. He has spent nearly 20 years making his unique experiences relatable by revealing everything about himself through his material and characters to sold out, and nowhere near sold out, crowds whenever, wherever he can.