But for an undiluted, 100-proof shot of pure Malkovich, your best bet is the new DVD of his stage performance in “The Infernal Comedy," which is being released in June.
The pseudo-opera -- actually a drama for one actor, two opera singers and an orchestra -- was recorded at a 2009 performance at Vienna's Ronacher Theater with the Orchester Wiener Akademie. The production recounts the life of Jack Unterweger (Malkovich), the Austrian writer and serial killer who murdered a number of prostitutes in Europe and Los Angeles.
Unterweger was arrested in 1992 and jailed in Austria. He hanged himself in prison in 1994.
“The Infernal Comedy" imagines the killer coming back from the dead as part of a book tour to promote his latest memoirs. For much of the production, Malkovich is seated at a table where he recites a comic monologue about his character's life, loves and dangerous liaisons.
Throughout the show, Malkovich interacts with two opera singers who perform arias by Vivaldi, Mozart, Haydn and more. The singers represent the various women in the murderer's life, including his mother and some of the prostitutes he killed.
The production, which is scripted by Martin Sturminger, first debuted in 2008 in Santa Monica, where Malkovich performed with the baroque ensemble Musica Angelica, led by Martin Haselbock. Times critic Mark Swed wrote that the L.A. production (which was then titled “Seduction and Despair") “needs a real score and a genuine production. The skeleton of something meaningful is there, and I hope [they] take the next step."
In 2009, the creators indeed took the next step by taking a revised version of the show on a tour with stops in Austria, France and Spain. The show recently played in Hamburg, Germany, and is scheduled to play at London's Barbican Center in June 2011.
