A YUMMY THEATER TREAT: "CHEESE FRIES AND FROOT LOOPS"

Christopher Fuller got his first lesson in how to swear when he was only four. He learned at the knee of film star Bette Davis who had invited herself to stay at his family’s Weston home for a few days and remained for a month. Christopher also got to learn the putt-putt game of golf from Davis, a love that would influence how he directed his future life. These memories make a significant moment in Chris Fuller’s unique one man show “Cheese Fries and Froot Loops,” recently performed for a weekend at the Westport Women’s Club, with proceeds benefiting the Artists Collective of Westport. Fuller who now lives in Arizona and grew up in Weston still has a passion for golf and is a former Connecticut golf professional. In his show, he reveals how he has coped with his mental health issues, hopscotching from the past to the present and back again. He proudly shows off his kiddy putter that Ms. Davis autographed: “To Master Christopher- I won.” A big influence in his life was his dad who worked with him every night wanting to create a sports athlete. When he was tested and found to have superior hand-eye coordination, his father, who could have cared less for academics, was suitably proud. His dad’s death when Chris was only eight greatly affected his young life. A competitive golfer from the age of twelve, he played through high school and college before turning pro, taking part in the New England Golf Tour, The Pepsi Tour, The Dakotas Tour and The Outlaws Tour. At twenty-six, when Chris was diagnosed with Bipolar II, everything changed dramatically. Mood swings and racing thoughts became major obstacles in his professional golf career. He kept waiting for a miracle to happen. A stay in a mental hospital occurred as he tried to qualify for the PGA Golf Tour. Realizing a new career choice was imminent, Chris enrolled in the Golf Academy of America to teach golf, after trying a number of other positions including being a giant Cheese Fry as a restaurant mascot. These unfulfilling jobs left him more and more unsatisfied. Family history prompted him to explore a new path: as a writer and actor. His dad John Fuller was a best selling author who had two plays on Broadway and wrote about aliens, UFOs and ghosts, while his mom Liz wrote a charming show about Bette Davis’s long extended visit to their home, “Me and Jezebel.” Chris recalled how he and his dad would sing “Sitting on Top of the World” as their theme song. Now Chris is working with acting coach John O’Hara to polish the seventeen voices he portrays on stage, like his Coach Mike who acted as his Mr. Rogers and Moonbeam who was his Buddhist guru, while Mark Graham has taken on the task of perfecting the show with keen direction. His solo work “Cheese Fries and Froot Loops” has been optioned by Robert R. Blume, the former executive of the Drama Desk Awards. On October 12, he will be part of the United Solo Festival in New York City. Come watch Chris Fuller’s intimate and honest story of pursuing his lifelong dream while adjusting to a mental disease and making peace with his problems. Even though his parents cautioned him to keep his condition a secret, he feels by sharing it he has been liberated. He has learned to live with his life as Humpty Dumpty, always fearing he will fall, or as a “jittery Zombie” fighting his demons. Now Chris Fuller is clearly once again "Sitting on Top on the World."