No one can say what would have become of Lenny if he hadn't been plagued by obscenity convictions. Perhaps his popularity, like that of so many other entertainers, would have dwindled, leaving him in obscurity. But Lenny was a fairly capable writer, and might have made a living even after the stage doors were closed to him, advocating penal and drug law reform. Whether it was the law that "killed" Lenny, as current books and articles claim, or his own inability to find a substitute for show business, his unfair conviction remains our responsibility, and something we deserve to feel ashamed about.

The play Lenny, written by Julian Barry, is a well-constructed, powerful piece of theater, which gives considerable insight into Lenny's life. It is based mostly on Bruce's own routines and court battles, but manages to present them with continuity. The bits themselves, carefully edited, represent the best of Lenny Bruce and capture his change in mood and brand of humor--as arrests persisted, Lenny's character became increasingly raffish, his voice increasingly strident and self-righteous, until he was trying to frighten his audience more than amuse it.

In the lead role, Marty Brill's performance is impressive. His expressions, gestures and inflection capture the nuances of Lenny's character. He plays off the audience with such poise that one really gets the feeling of seeing a night club act.

Brill shows considerable versatility in portraying Lenny both as a successful comedian and a man struggling for his livelihood and the respect of his peers. The second act is dominated by scenes that expose Lenny's personal deterioration from the stresses of litigation and legal stumbling blocks, and Brill handles these with as much sensitivity as his comic routines in the first act.

Lenny died on a toilet seat from an overdose. In spite of the court convictions, he probably could have returned to the entertainment business. The Supreme Court was effortlessly reversing the decisions that had plagued him for years. But Lenny felt broken by the court decision, and without a livelihood, he lost his motivation to live. When the finance company notified him that his house was in forfeit, he poked a needle into his vein. He was found a few hours later, naked on the bathroom floor.

Lenny thought of himself as a deviant, maintaining that we need deviants to tell us when we're going awry. Without idealizing him, it's clear Lenny deserved more thanks than he ever got--for being honest and critical, for putting up a legal fight that gave future comics much greater freedom of expression, and mostly for being so funny.