Bard Simpson

"I was playing 'Murderer Number Two' in a production of Macbeth in Montreal in 1992," says Toronto's Rick Miller, "and I had a little too much time on my hands." Between slayings, he worked out a skit that combined the words of William Shakespeare with spot-on impressions of characters from...

By Michael Roberts

May 11, 2006

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"I was playing 'Murderer Number Two' in a production of Macbeth in Montreal in 1992," says Toronto's Rick Miller, "and I had a little too much time on my hands." Between slayings, he worked out a skit that combined the words of William Shakespeare with spot-on impressions of characters from The Simpsons, and his fellow actors loved it. Still, he never imagined that this "cast-party joke," as Miller calls it, would evolve into MacHomer, a multimedia extravaganza that stops in Denver tonight. "I never set out to be an impersonator," he maintains, "but I ended up becoming one."

And how. Miller imitates as many as 55 Simpsons voices, ranging from the prominent (Homer, Bart) to the obscure (Lionel Hutz, Arnie Pie). He also employs oversized projections of the figures he's aping — an approach that might have landed him in legal jeopardy had he not received the blessing of Simpsons creator Matt Groening. "He shook my hand and said, 'I'll make sure you can keep doing what you're doing,'" Miller notes. Apparently, Groening doesn't mind that Miller's making "D'oh!" with help from his inventions — and Shakespeare's.

The curtain opens on MacHomer at 8:30 p.m. at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 East Iliff Avenue. Tickets, $25 to $55, are available at 303-357-2787 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Wed., May 17, 8:30 p.m.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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