Not Just Fiddling Around in ‘Paganini’

Nicolo Paganini lives, breathes and plays the violin in “Paganini” (at Actors’s Alley), a one-man show starring Robert Rudie, conceived by Rudie and David Schechter. Originally developed 10 years ago as “more of a stand-up recitative--now it’s a real theater piece with characters,” Rudie won a 1981 Emmy for his portrayal of Paganini in a two-part episode of the PBS series “Meeting of Minds.”

“My main career is that of a violinist,” said the Texas-based performer, who’s accompanied in the show by his pianist wife Kathryn Mishell (who also wrote the incidental music). “Every violinist, at a certain point, studies the music of Paganini. And even after all these years, it’s still a handful--very challenging. He invented a lot of new things to do on a violin.”

Adding to the legend was Paganini’s scandalous life style. “He was a real character,” Rudie noted. “After his death, the Church denied permission to bury his body, saying he didn’t offer a final confession, that his life had been filled with licentiousness--and that he’d had some dealings with the devil. Those stories had been rampant all his life; with (his wizardry) on the violin, it was an easy (assumption) for people to grab onto.”

In the show, Rudie offers Panganini a forum to rebut his critics-- speaking on everything from the women in his life to technique. “I wanted to bring audiences not only his music, by the dynamism of the man. So there are a lot of facts, a little surmising. It also gives me an opportunity to say some things about music and art: how he was tied to his music, almost a slave to it. For anyone who’s devoted (his or her) life to art, these things are universal.”

SKETCHES: Disorderly Conduct presents “Disorderly Conduct,” an hourlong late-night comedy revue, opening Friday at the Eagle Theatre. “It’s a series of sketches, pretty much like ‘Saturday Night Live’ or SCTV,’ ” explained co-writer/director Russell Taras. “One theme that runs through the show is a Schick-type rehabilitation program. The guy keeps getting rid of one addiction and (developing) another. He goes from alcohol to cocaine to overeating to bulimia.”

Improvs? “There are no improvs, but we do a takeoff on improvs,” Taras offered. “There’s also ‘Waiting for Bordeaux’: two women in restaurant, ordering food like ‘psychosomatic salad.’ There’s an en vangelist/real estate salesman who really gets the crowd going. And there’s ‘Past Life’: two old people (60 years from now) talking about what’s going on today. It turns out Dan Quayle was the greatest President ever in the United States--but he was no Jack Kennedy.”