PORTLAND — From Spalding Gray to Anna Deavere Smith, monologists are a powerful force in contemporary theater. Few have had the savage impact of Eric Bogosian. Originally produced as a one-man show in 1990, “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” catapulted Bogosian to the status of cultural icon. Like Lenny Bruce before him, Bogosian is a penetrating observer of the human condition, and no character walks away unscathed by his biting wit and his criticism of what he calls a “schizoid culture.”

Adding to his growing body of work, which includes “Drinking in America” and “Talk Radio,” “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” pokes fun at the excesses and absurdities of a generation weaned on rock ‘n’ roll and a self-indulgent society that over-consumes even as it weeps for the less fortunate.

Mad Horse Theatre Company’s production offers three very talented actors sharing eleven monologues during the ninety minute show. Company member Nate Speckman is joined by guest artists Evan Dalzell and Jordan Handren-Seavey. The show is directed by Company member Nicole Castro.

Among the vivid characters portrayed in “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” are an artist who resolves to keep his art inside his head, a group of blue-collar guys whose wedding-eve party for a buddy turns into a merry sleigh ride to hell, and a high-powered executive juggling a life’s worth of relationships from his cell phone, each showing insight into a distinct side of his twisted personality.

“Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” opens Monday, May 7, and will run on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings through May 16 at Lucid Stage, 29 Baxter Boulevard, in Portland. Show time is 7:30pm.

All performances are pay what you can, with a suggested donation of $10.

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