John Malkovich in “The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer”

In Michael Sturminger’s absurd and macabre production, multiple Academy Award nominee John Malkovich seduces, shocks, and appalls as the slithering real-life serial killer Jack Unterweger—back from the dead to plug his new autobiography. The one-man play-meets-chamber opera unfolds as a series of monologues, and the killer’s grisly deeds come alive through a consort of elegant sopranos who pose as women from Unterweger’s life as they sing opera arias by Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Haydn, and others. For this Berkeley appearance, Malkovich is joined onstage by guest vocalists supported by the acclaimed Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, the music providing both a sumptuous soundtrack and ironic commentary on Unterweger’s disturbing confessions. “Malkovich is captivating as the smarmy, clearly deranged madman, embodying the role with extra relish” (This Week in NY).