Masters Thesis

Beelzeburg

Beelzeburg is a dark comedy set in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1962 about Marty Burg, a schlubby, Jewish, introverted momma's boy who dreams of being a famous actor, but feels doomed to be forever stuck under his mother's thumb and take over the family deli when she retires. Marty's luck changes one day when his local television idol, Count Verdugo, host of "Count Verdugo's Shock Theater" drops dead on live television. Seeing an opportunity, Marty creates his horror host alter-ego "Beelzeburg" and convinces the local television station to give him a shot at hosting "Shock Theater." When it goes disastrously, Marty thinks his acting dreams are over before they've even begun, but it turns out the people of St. Paul can't get enough of Beelzeburg, leading Marty to become an instant local celebrity, beloved by the city. However, the person whose respect he yearns for the most, his mother's, he isn't able to achieve, leading his mother to disavow Marty for turning his back on his family. This leads Marty on a downward spiral that could cost him everything he's worked so hard to achieve.

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