Category Archives: Play

The Receptionist

Off-Broadway, Play May 8, 2026 Leave a comment

From the beginning, there is something off about the Northeast Office in Adam Bock’s The Receptionist.  There is a squishy sense of period and an even sparser sense of location beyond a workplace within a city with bagels, croissants, and public transportation. Most extraordinary, even with all the narrative phone calls and perpetual office gossip, it is more than halfway through this clipped play that we get any inkling of what these people do for a living.  It reflects well on the banter and incidentals that this revelation is so slow in dawning, effectively delaying our rising alarm.

Though the script has been around for nearly 20 years, its vibe fits all-too-comfortably into 2026 with only a few tweaks.  The construction hasn’t made the trip nearly as well.  Described by Second Stage as “a jet-black comedy,” the work is really more like a simple black and white cookie, with the gloom and the humor lying side by side.  By the end, much remains merely hinted at with mixed effect.  Post show chatter in the ladies room, where sometimes the most insightful criticism is shared, was split between those who felt sure they’d missed something and those who reveled in the murkiness.

The spiky dialogue is mostly between Katie Finneran’s good natured receptionist Beverly Wilkins and Mallori Johnson as a staff member, Lorraine Taylor.  Though further up the org. chart, the stunning but insecure Lorraine lacks Beverly’s assured hand.  With her consistent missing of her bus, inappropriately flirtatious manner and golf bag clearly in view inside her office door, her holding down of a job is yet another office mystery.  Their breezy day is disrupted by the dark cloud of Will Pullen’s Martin Dart from the Central Office.  He is seeking a chat with their head of office, Edward Raymond (an underutilized Nael Nacer).  We shouldn’t be surprised that someone so named would stay on target.

Will Pullen, Mallori Johnson and Katie Finneran in The Receptionist; photo by Joan Marcus

A skilled hand at refining sharp viewpoints, director Sarah Benson steers her cast through the ripples of normalcy and then oddness.  Encased within the earth-toned carpeting and padded walls by design collective “dots” and fashioned in part by Cookie Jordan’s wig design, the actors spark off one another, even though their characters lack the definition you’d expect to find in an expanded metaphor.  Like Jayne Houdyshell before her, the potential predictability of Beverly benefits from the performance precision of two-time Tony winner Finneran. She vivaciously transmits her character’s “in-the-know” regarding the finer details that flow through her.  Likewise Johnson finds a provocative note within Lorraine’s exhausting coquettishness.

The Receptionist is an amuse-bouche of a play: tasty, but not enough of anything — comedy, commentary, character development — to be fully satisfying.  (And yes, I am using another food metaphor.)  The intervening years have provided us with too many chilly worlds that are better and more distinctively built.  Part of Second Stage’s 47th season, performances are scheduled through May 24th at the Irene Diamond Stage in the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 W 42nd Street near 10th Avenue.  Running time is 80 minutes without intermission.  Tickets begin at $66 up to $136 for premium seats.  The latter price range includes the entrance row G where there is extra legroom and space for wheelchairs.  Those in row H get a height boost, though there is a thin railing in front.  

The Door Slams, A Glass Trembles

Off-Broadway, Play April 28, 2026 Leave a comment

A Talking Band production is to a typical scripted play what an impressionist painting is to a photograph.  The plot lines are delineated, but the total picture is brought into focus through imagination and experience.  Their newest work, The Door Slams, A Glass Trembles, is being presented in association with the famed experimental La MaMa.  Judging from audience reaction, this is a match made in avant-guard theater heaven.

Written and directed by founding member Paul Zimet and partially inspired by Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, The Door Slams… takes place in a modern day rural family home and a pre-WWI alpine sanatorium as well as in the memory of Marc (Jack Wetherall).  Over the course of multiple dinners, we learn that he and his wife Clara (Ellen Maddow) have retired to a house in the forest after having their research funding abruptly terminated.  Their family — son Norm (Patrick Dunning), game-loving daughter-in-law Jenny (Amara Granderson), and unseen granddaughter Abby — are visiting for the summer.  They have forged a new community of similarly frustrated neighbors (Lizzie Olesker, Steven Rattazzi and Tina Shepard). Not content with the present and with more time stretching out behind him than in front, Marc often reflects on his first love Anne (Delaney Feener) and the promising work he was forced to leave unfinished.  

Left to Right: Jack Wetherall, Tina Shepard, Amara Granderson, Patrick Dunning, and Ellen Maddow; Photo by Maria Baranova

As with Talking Band’s previous collaborations, the story unfolds gently, with co-founder Maddow’s music, the choreography of Flannery Gregg, and lighting by Mary Ellen Stebbins playing as much of a role in the storytelling as the dialogue.  The ensemble — including third co-founder Shepard — is truly a band, with many of the players from previous shows making a return.  Actions are repeated but varied like a movement of a symphony.  Newcomers including Dunning and Feener pick up the rhythm.  Time with its patterns and alterations is central, especially as expressed by preternaturally forlorn-faced Wetherall.  There are well-placed moments of triumph and humor.  Politics is not the main course, but rather a scent wafting in from another room.

In Anna Kiraly’s set and video design, a few key pieces are all that is needed to convey time and space.  A slanted roof shape and window define the dwelling.  Rather than execute the scene changes under cover of darkness, the cast emphasizes the shifts with sound and gesture.  A well constructed family table easily converts to one appropriate for a large banqueting hall.  The front deck of the house is also the deck of a ship.  A window displays the actual woods outside and the murky waters of the mind.  Costume design by Olivera Gajic follows form with tees adorned with clever slogans swapped out for period formal attire and fancy dress.  

The Door Slams, A Glass Trembles has made a providential arrival, opening in a year when for many of us the nature of time feels like it is shifting.  The company’s comfort and understanding of the distinct Talking Band technique make the content flow like the waves and wind incorporated into the projections, even when the events are distressing. The World Premiere plays through May 10, 2026, at The Downstairs at La MaMa, 66 East 4th Street.  Tickets  ($40 General Admission, $35 students/seniors, $10 La MaMa members) can be purchased at https://lamama.org/the-door-slams-a-glass-trembles/ .  Running time is 70 minutes without intermission.  Due to the intimate nature of the piece, latecomers are offered stools to the side of the main seating area.  

The Approach

Off-Broadway, Play April 13, 2026 Leave a comment

Composed as a round-robin of tête-à-têtes between Cora (Carmen M. Herlihy) and sisters Denise (Kate MacCluggage) and Anna (Danielle Ryan), The Approach explores the fragile mechanics that underpin their relationships. Friends since girlhood, the now middle-aged women have become increasingly entrenched in their own vision of themselves. Three is rarely a magic number, and the inevitable alliances rise and fall as each one attempts to establish some power in the world, at least as far as the other two are concerned.  Over time, some memories have faded; others brightened.  And a notable few are manufactured.  Through their series of seemingly casual chats, we uncover a truer, more honest picture of their personal journeys than any one of them could possibly see.

Often oblique but never opaque, the script provides plenty of luscious reading between the lines.  Playwright Mark O’Rowe’s storytelling technique draws the audience ever closer, which is perfect for this intimate black box space. As directed by Conor Bagley with dialect coaching by Karen Killeen, all three actresses vary the vibrancy and pace the layering of details.  Characters only physically stir to rush off to their next engagement.  

Danielle Ryan and Carmen M. Herlihy in Irish Rep’s 2026 production of The Approach; Photo by Carol Rosegg

The set designed by Daniel Prosky reflects the shades of gray and grittiness that are prominent in the script.  Original music and poetic sounds of warning by Joyce Ciesil form a swaying bridge between conversations.  Given the atmosphere that’s accomplished, Emma Deane’s melodramatic lighting is almost redundant.  Costume design by Stephanie Bahniuk includes Carmen M. Herlihy’s invaluable oversized sweater.

Many of us have filled an emotional void with friends we hold as close as family.  It is not uncommon to manipulate that bond, which is what makes The Approach so uncomfortably relatable. The New York stage premiere continues through May 10 at the W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre downstairs at The Irish Repertory Theatre, 132 West 22nd Street.  Running time is one hour and ten minutes without an intermission.  Tickets are $60 ($50 for limited view) and available at https://irishrep.org/whats-on/the-approach.  Irish Rep’s GreenSeat program enables patrons under 40 to purchase seats for $25.  Wheelchair seating is available for most performances.  Be aware that there is a permanent pillar in front of seat C2 in the main section and rows AA-CC are to the left of the stage.  

Spare Parts

Off-Broadway, Play March 16, 2026 Leave a comment

In Spare Parts, a well-meaning Columbia University Assistant Professor and a dedicated graduate student are studying the aging process; experimenting with possibilities for slowing or reversing it.  As with many such studies, they have received a government grant and had success with lower organisms.  But a potential billionaire investor is ready to skip all the usual precautions and move straight on to a human subject: HIM.  He’s 64 with high blood pressure and simply doesn’t have the patience or the NEED to wait.  Along with his younger and more emotionally intelligent assistant, he has summoned the academics in hopes that his money will move them along.

The concept is sadly timely, with Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, and Sam Altman among those eagerly backing anti-aging ventures.  Playwright David J. Glass is a medical professional and has drawn on his first-hand experience at both a biotech company and Playwrights Horizons to forge a unique narrative path.  The result is a wild blend of life questions.  While the probing of ethics is enticing — especially during our period of deception — it is the exploration of the purely human realm that gives this play heart.  There are a few places in the script where the storytelling is a touch inelegant, but for the most part it’s impressively paced given that this is a 95 minute play and not a three-part mini.  

While the content vibrates with originality and intrigue, the direction by Michael Herwitz erodes the impact.  Actors are sometimes stretched out across the long, shallow space, diminishing the electricity between characters.  Worse is in the unimaginative and downright confusing set by designer Scott Penner.  Various locations slosh around on top of one another without so much as a color shift in Zack Lobel’s serviceable lighting to differentiate the location.  My I-Give-Up moment with the staging occurred when the the walls became doors thanks to PVC strips that flap upstage.  The thumping original synth music by Ryan Gamblin overwhelms his futuristic soundscape.

Matt Walker, Jonny-James Kajoba, Michael Genet and Rob McClure in Spare Parts; Photo by Russ Rowland

Fortunately the cast more than holds up their end of selling the story.  While the draw is frequent award nominee Rob McClure, his talent outweighs the needs of Professor Coffey.  Similar to their characters’ dynamics, he is outshone by Matt Walker in a delicious layer cake of a performance as assistant Jeffrey Jordan.  Perhaps it is Walker’s actual Ph.D. in genetics from Columbia University that makes him appear so comfortable while embodying such an awkward personage.  As billionaire Zeit Smith, Michael Genet understands how to portray a character with troubling intentions without stepping over the line into melodrama.  Most admirable is Jonny-James Kajoba’s turn as Ivan Shelley, Zeit’s faithful protégé.  (How I wish I’d seen his Lady Bracknell!)

Spare Parts is certainly not easy to peg, which makes it exciting even for frequent theater attendees.  Whatever discomposure is brought on by the indecent proposal is more than offset by the satisfaction of an unexpected journey.  The limited engagement of this comedy/drama/mystery/horror show has been extended through April 30 in Theatre Three in Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street.  Prices range from $39 “cheap seats” to $129 for the premium section.  There is little rake in the first four rows followed by sufficient rise, along with better than average leg room throughout the house.  Visit https://www.sparepartsplay.com/ for more information.

Chinese Republicans

Off-Broadway, Play February 27, 2026 Leave a comment

In Chinese Republicans, four women of Chinese heritage and spanning three generations are gathered for an Affinity Luncheon near their New York City office.  As co-workers at a stressful international investment banking firm, they look forward to these supportive gatherings, not to mention the turnip cakes.  Their stated purpose this time is to welcome their newest member — the pretty and giddy 24 year old Katie — and celebrate her recent promotion.  Managing Director Ellen has been acting as Katie’s mentor, giving her encouragement and hints about how best to reach the next rung of the ladder.  Corporate consultant Phyllis, who once held Ellen’s current job, plays healthy skeptic to Ellen’s cheerleader.  The most conservative of the group, she punctuates many of her observations with a pointed “Thanks, Obama.”  Also in attendance is Chinese citizen Iris.  She is in the US on a Work Visa and hoping her contributions to the firm will allow her to stay.  But from what we can see, her main responsibility is to get the lunch ordered correctly.

Over the course of numerous encounters and flashbacks, we watch the foursome jockey for position, sometimes in support of one another and more often in competition.  All four are trying to cope with pressures both cultural and corporate; sometimes responding in anger and other times tactically. Their varying viewpoints on what it means to be Chinese add an intriguing element to their sparring.

Jodi Long, Jennifer Ikeda, Anna Zavelson, and Jully Lee in Chinese Republicans; Photo by Joan Marcus

Quite a bit of obvious shorthand is used to backfill the women’s histories with the intention of clarifying their current motivations.  Such narrow definition of character leaves Jennifer Ikeda (Ellen), Jully Lee (Iris), Jodi Long (Phyllis), and Anna Zavelson (Katie) without the ability to shine at full wattage. Some right leaning political views are mixed in with the abbreviated development (whoosh hate crime, whoosh abortion, whoosh “me too”) and the placement of the action in 2019 avoids the most thorny topics.  Often director Chay Yew relies on elevated voices and manic gestures to take the place of more involving connection.

Playwright Alex Lin has generated enormous enthusiastic buzz, most recently for her Lear-inspired Laowang.  In Chinese Republicans, what she sacrifices in keener character arcs, she makes up for in startling imagery.  She demonstrates a flair for switching tones from heart attack-inducing conflict to door-slamming farce.  Based on Lin’s obvious talent and genuine interest in her subject matter, there is a deeper, more distinctive, and less strident script just beyond our reach. While it certainly never gets boring, as the piece approaches its final 15 minutes the plot losses focus.  

The play’s atmosphere is nicely detailed.  Costume designer Anita Yavich provides a wardrobe made for code switching, mixing business attire with Asian-inspired accessories.  The sound design by Fabian Obispo incorporates original music and big city hubbub. Impressive sets by Wilson Chin include an attractive modern restaurant and the imposing wall of the investment firm.  To prepare for the varying degrees of fluency in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English, the company enlisted dialogue coach Ka-Ling Cheung.

With a great deal to say and an unconventional blending of styles, Chinese Republicans is both a thrilling and a frustrating ride. The World Premiere production, part of Roundabout’s 2025-26 season, continues through April 5.  Performances are at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, Laura Pels Theatre, 111 West 46th Street.  Running time is 95 minutes without an intermission.  Seat prices range from very reasonable $69 – $102. The venue has superior sight lines and a small cafe on the lower level.  Visit https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2025-2026-season/chinese-republicans?url=/get-tickets/2025-2026-season/chinese-republicans for more information and to purchase tickets.

The First Line of Dante’s Inferno

Off Off Broadway, Play February 9, 2026 Leave a comment

The presiding character in The First Line of Dante’s Inferno has no lines, but dominates and literally overhangs the dialogue.  It is the dark outlying woods represented by Lauren Helpern’s evocative set, with Jianzhi-esque  trees and a blackened canopy that flutters in the HVAC of La MaMa’s Downstairs Theatre.  This is where Ann (Kellie Overbey) has come, seeking her missing sister Carol.  As she shouts out to any creatures nearby, it becomes clear this is not her customary environment. Her tiny basecamp — a one room squatter’s cabin made of stolen plywood and containing a camping stove, a sleeping bag, a copy of Inferno, and some moonshine — has been under observation by a young ranger, Craig (Evan Sibley).  He has also been on Carol’s trail, though he is less optimistic about her being found.  With stunning speed, the two make an arrangement that will allow Ann to continue her search.  But the longer the duo stays within the forestland, the more feral they become, shedding social norms in favor of unfiltered instinct.  

Kellie Overbey, Evan Sibley and Greg Stuhr in The First Line of Dante’s Inferno; Photo credit Marina Levitskaya

Similar to the title’s narrative poem, Kirk Lynn’s emotionally gripping script is constructed in the style of Story Theater, with characters describing their actions.  First and third person are used interchangeably as if they too are fictionalized versions of themselves.  The shifting perspective often reveals more about the storytellers than the story.  The blending of facts, memories and psychological response is repeatedly illustrated by the telling phrase “As I remember…”  as if at heart they question whether their statements are 100% true.

Under Christian Parker’s direction, Overbey and Sibley truly play off each other, generating surprising wattage from an unlikely pairing.  Ann’s and Craig’s elevated honesty and rawness is refreshing and often funny.  So, too, is Craig’s older partner, Bill (Greg Stuhr) whose years of job experience have not necessarily made him wiser and certainly not a better shot.  He is more like an annoying big brother than a senior officer.

Carrying nearly as much weight as the scenic design is Bart Fasbender’s stirring soundscape of animal noises, vocalizations, and rustlings.  By contrast, lighting designer Zach Blane’s recreation of the shifting shadows and foliage sometimes pulls focus from the actors. Kanika Asavari Vaish designed the props, which include a suitably bright red copy of Inferno, that is used as a sort of divination tool. 

For 90 minutes, The First Line of Dante’s Inferno immerses the audience in its own musky world with a unique set of rules.  It is the debut production of Shadowed Forest, a multi-generational company that successfully elicited response from the broad swath of theater-goers who shared the space on a frigid Sunday.  Tickets are impressively priced at $30 for Adults, $25 for Students/Seniors and $10 for La MaMa Members and are available for advance purchase at https://lamama.org/the-first-line-of-dantes-inferno/.  Additionally, the first ten tickets for every performance are $10 each (limit 2 per person) and available first come, first served.  Performances of this World Premiere continue through February 22 at La MaMa’s Downstairs Theatre at 66 East 4th Street.  Recognized and rewarded for its support of experimental theater, this house offers comfortable seating, terrific sightlines, and even a few welcoming beverages for purchase.  

Predictor

Off-Broadway, Play December 15, 2025 Leave a comment

Too few productions hit that magical sweet spot of addressing a pressing issue while remaining entertaining and even funny.  This is what makes Predictor such a refreshing addition to the winter Off-Broadway lineup.  Jennifer Blackmer has written an inspired bio-comedy about Meg Crane, the inventor of the home pregnancy test whose name has been all but erased by the male-led corporation that swindled her out of her patent.  Choosing her words and micro aggressions with loving exactitude, Blackmer combines fact with recognizable cultural references circa 1967 to fill out Crane’s little-known history.  It is no surprise that the 2024 winner of the  American Theatre Critics Association/Harold and Mimi Steinberg Foundation Citation for Best New American Play (for I Carry Your Heart With Me) would tell this story with artfully applied fury and humor.

Predictor featuring Jes Washington, April Ortiz, Lauren Molina (r) and Caitlin Kinnunen (f);
Photo credit Valerie Terranova

Though fans of Mad Men are well acquainted with the corporate culture of companies like Organon Pharmaceuticals, it may be hard for anyone under the age of 40 to picture a world in which a woman’s husband had to accompany her to a physician’s appointment.  Then she would wait several crucial weeks in order to know for certain whether or not she was pregnant.  Blackmer uses the popular television of the times including a Donna Reed-like family portrait and a buzzy game show to convey the impactful images and genuine emotions related to this lack of agency.  The sound design by Daniela Hart, Noel Nichols, and Bailey Trierweiler includes original music that invokes the tunes and tones used in these programs, adding an intergenerationally-familiar period element.  Cat Raynor’s scenic design features medicinal green walls, delightfully dated harvest gold chairs and an upstage glass enclosed “control booth”.   These enhance the storytelling while also providing the small stage space with an expansive feeling.  Colorfully illuminated side panels similar to ones used on TV are incorporated into the lighting design by Zach Blane.  Like parochial school uniforms— another theme from Crane’s life —  costumes by Alicia Austin consist of coordinated plaid dresses for the ladies and suits for the gentlemen who grab sweaters, jackets, and glasses to differentiate their multitude of characters.

Alex Keegan’s deft direction fits each script beat so perfectly she and Blackmer could be creative twins.  The action all takes place inside Meg’s head and has both very real and very dreamy qualities as a result.  The essential Meg Crane character is played by Tony nominee Caitlin Kinnunen, who came to prominence during her run as Emma Nolan in The Prom.  She lends that same flustered-but-right affectation to the graphic artist who finds her muse in an outer building of a pharmaceutical company.  Kinnunen is lifted up by a crack ensemble with seemingly boundless energy as they take on a broad range of supporting roles.  Lauren Molina can add “credible tears on cue” to her many hyphens with her compassionate turn as Crane’s deeply religious mother as well as Mary, a comically earnest executive assistant.  April Ortiz gives depth to the more conservative female roles including Crane’s teacher Sister Bernadette and Crane’s grandmother.  Nick Piacente is flirty and sweet as Bertie, a friendly lab assistant, and Ira, an experienced marketing executive.  Amping up the blowhard factor is Eric Tabach’s Jack, the executive to whom the home pregnancy project is assigned.  Taking on both father figures and Crane’s actual father is a down-to-earth John Leonard Thompson.  A refined Jes Washington portrays Jody, Crane’s encouraging roommate, and Lillian, a troubled secretary from Organon’s pool among others.

Predictor paints a vivid backdrop to our times when Roe is gone, Planned Parenthood is under attack, and the FDA itself is being tested.  But it also provides a portrait of a selfless and remarkable crusader and moments of genuine laughter.  While you may feel Crane’s grit and frustration, ultimately its exhilarating to share time with her and Blackmer’s sharp dialogue.  Predictor runs through January 18th at The AMT Theater, (354 W 45th St) with performances at 7PM Tuesday through Sunday and 2PM matinees on weekends.  Runtime is two hours and fifteen minutes including an intermission.  The house is small, but comfortable with good sightlines even from seats against the far wall.  Tickets ($49-$110) are available for advance purchase at www.predictorplay.com.

Malcolm X & Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem

On Demand, Play October 25, 2025 Leave a comment

In June of 1943, Malcolm Little and John Elroy Sanford crossed paths as dishwashers in the same Harlem fried chicken joint.  At ages 19 and 20 respectively, they were still finding their footing as Black men at a time when they were encouraged to give their lives for the country, but not being given societal or economic opportunity.  His father having died early and his mother hospitalized after a breakdown, Little was a petty criminal, frustrated to keep finding himself on that path.  Foxy was an aspiring comic who already handled his finances so poorly he was living on a rooftop.  The engaging Malcolm X & Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem opens an imaginative window into the relationship between these two men long before fame found them.  

Though familiarity with the raunchy comedian and the inspirational Muslim leader is helpful, at heart Jonathan Norton — who won the American Theatre Critics/Journalists’ M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award  for Mississippi Godddamn — has here written a thoughtful exploration of friendship.  Though Foxy and Little share concerns, they have divergent approaches for overcoming them.  By turns, they build each other up and tear each other down, eventually bringing out something special in one another that perhaps no one else would unearth.  Always running in the background is the pre-civil-rights society that literally and metaphorically deprives the two of the music in life.  

Squat and expressive, with an ability to swing from insecurity to dominance, Trey Smith-Mills plays Foxy.  The long and suave Edwin Green — who has been with the production since its 2024 Off-Broadway reading — makes a terrific counterpart as Little.  Director Dexter J. Singleton heightens the required physicality and timing in both performances.

Trey Smith-Mills and Edwin Green as Foxy and Little; Photo by Wesley Hitt

Costume designer Claudia Brownlee provides the right style-on-a budget wardrobe, particularly with a red and white suit and outrageous hat for Foxy.  Jennifer McClory’s wigs mimic the chemically treated reddish hair that was popular in that period.  The shabby back-kitchen set with its stained walls and gurgling drain is designed by Kimberly Powers.  Blackouts and hot spots (lighting by Levi J. Wilkins) along with jazz standards and order-up bells (sound by Howard Patterson) work cleverly together to illustrate the passage of long summer days.

Malcolm X & Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem is a captivating two hander about people you think you know in an era you think you understand.  Above all, it is the evolution of a friendship that reverberated throughout two meaningful lives.  This World Premiere was commissioned by TheatreSquared, and is a co-production of T2, City Theatre Company, Virginia Stage Company and Dallas Theater Center.  The run has been extended until November 2nd.  Live performances take place at Spring Theatre (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville, AR).  The streaming version is shot casually (odd angles, heads in the way, uneven audio) but is a wonderful option for those with mobility or childcare issues and those of us who live at too great a distance from the the venue.  Content is for mature audiences, with simulated drug use and adult language.  Runtime is an hour and forty minutes with no intermission.  Both live tickets ($$25-$71) and streaming tickets ($25-$35) are available at theatre2.org/jimmys-chicken or by calling (479) 777-7477.

Perfect Crime

Off-Broadway, Play October 20, 2025 Leave a comment

In a secluded stately home in the Connecticut woods, a married team of well-educated psychiatrists uses psychodrama to help their troubled patients work through trauma.  One night, their cook witnesses a young redhead murdering the husband.  A handsome police detective is called to the scene.  The therapists claim it was merely a client acting out a dream.  A series of clues to the truth are dropped over seven scenes representing a single week.  This is the set-up of Perfect Crime, an Off-Broadway mystery with a record-breaking run.  So why is this production still so unsure of its storytelling capabilities that each audience member is handed a 17 point solution sheet upon exit?

The viewing experience begins cleverly enough.  The comfortable lobby centers on a massive mugshot board with a bucket of props beside it for taking selfies.  Tips for committing the perfect crime are hung on the the pillars around a welcoming bar offering an array of theme cocktails.  The producers have thoughtfully paid for Wordly, a translation and caption service that can provide the play’s dialogue in a number of languages.  

Upon entry to the 194 seat house, one sees an authoritative set designed by Jay Stone dressed with Neo-Gothic furniture and leather bound books.  Other creative elements could use an update.  An intricate brick mural that provides a critical plot point has become dull with time.  A talk show clip obviously filmed years ago no longer fits the time frame.  Musical cues, though significant to the plot, are loud enough to intrude on conversation and an important recorded message has become garbled.  

Playwright Warren Manzi, a Yale School of Drama graduate, wrote the original script for Perfect Crime when he was only in his mid 20s.  Reviews at the time indicated it was too complex to absorb, so he continually refined it.  Mr. Manzi’s legal counsel is executive producing the current run.  The piece still begins with a stereotypical phone call in a storm, but this is quickly revealed to be part of a therapeutic reenactment.  Along the way, there are several of these unusual, even sophisticated elements.  

It is the performance of Guinness Book of World Records holder Catherine Russell as famed therapist Dr. Margaret Thorne Brent that makes this playful mystery descend into rubbish.  Lines are ejected from her mouth without any differentiation, as if written as a single run-on sentence.  She never genuinely reacts to any of her scene partners, a basic tenet of the craft.  Her physicality is equally hasty.  For example, when her character juggles multiple phone calls, she often forgets to press the hold button on the phone until she has spoken several sentences to the incorrect person.  I found references to Ms. Russell’s somnambulism dating back at least three years.  The Show Score — usually an enthusiastic measurement — stands at equal parts positive and negative.  She may pride herself on only missing four performances over the years, but in all the important ways she has stopped showing up.

The rest of the cast, most of whom are making their Off-Broadway debuts, struggle along with what they are handed.  David Butler is the most successful as the multi-layered W. Harrison Brent.  Taking on the role of the bored and probably alcoholic Inspector James Ascher is a charming Adam Bradley.  I had the pleasure of seeing Mark Epperson — understudy for all the male roles — as Lionel McAuley, a particularly unhinged yet clever patient of Margaret’s. Seen only on video, Patrick Robustelli plays talk show host David Breuer.  

Catherine Russell was a treasured member of the theatrical community.  Her image was captured by famed illustrator Al Hirschfeld. She was a lead producer of the legendary revival of The Fantastics.  Her proceeds were used in part to build The Theater Center which houses Perfect Crime and several other stages that can be rented out for daring works in development and entertaining parody musicals.  Why, in a time when theater is under threat and yet remains filled with energetic talent, has she chosen to turn in a thoroughly careless performance devoid of heart? That, my dear readers, is perfectly criminal.

Perfect Crime is playing at the Anne L. Bernstein Theater at The Theater Center, 120 West 50th Street. Seats purchased through numerous discounted services are assigned by the box office, which stuffs the first few rows of the low raked house.  Performances are evenings Thursday – Tuesday with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Running time is about two hours with the intermission.  A detailed plot is available on Wikipedia, which would add greatly to your ability to follow along with the curveballs. For more information, visit https://www.perfect-crime.com.

The Glitch

Off-Broadway, Play October 9, 2025 Leave a comment

In a world in which AI has seemingly infiltrated every aspect of life, it is not hard to imagine a lab like the one featured in Kipp Koenig’s The Glitch.  “Future Child” allows want-to-be parents to interact with DNA-based projections of their teenage offspring.  The technology orchestrated by Aurora — an AI combination therapist and diagnostic program — is still a work in progress.  The simulation developed for their ninth client hit a raw nerve and resulted in an unanticipated traumatic reaction.  After a great deal of upgrading and testing, company founder Wyatt and his more cautious second in command Wendy feel prepared for client #10.  But when she turns out to be a woman from Wyatt’s past, the outcome of If/Else commands becomes even less predictable.  

Though the question of whether AI is capable of improving our quality of life drifts along in the background, front and center are more approachable and relatable topics.  What parent isn’t terrified of giving birth to someone who might not be “good” in the way they envision?  What child doesn’t say something hurtful in haste or engage in a rash act of rebellion?  And who hasn’t experienced that moment of horror when the sound of their parents comes flying out of their own mouths?  

Koenig has clearly drawn from his years working in technology to concoct the plausible atmosphere of a visionary and delicate start-up.  Scenic design by Josh Oberlander featuring hospital-white blocks and levered doors gleaming under Zack Lobel’s bright florescent lighting accompanied by Philip Glass-y music brings us right into the scene.  Director Mark Koenig (no relation) makes clever use of the aisles to expand the movement of the highly conversational script. Though there are a few too many short cuts in the plotting, they are necessary for squeezing all the required thought and sentiment into a tight 100 minute package.

Danielle Augustine and Jacquie Bonnet in The Glitch; photo by Thomas Mundell

As Hailey the holographic daughter, Hannah Rose Doherty is a revelation, striking the perfect vocal tone of a tween at once loving and frustrated.  At times she was little more than 3’ from me.  Covered in silvery sparkles, she remained engaged and reactive: physically exploring her “projected” body, flipping her hair before she was given arms, and quivering with excitement as she was allowed to develop.  The comic relief lands primarily in the feet of Jacquie Bonnet’s Wendy.  Both the actress and the character deserve a more meaningful domain given the story arc.  A grounded Sunny Makwana brings warmth and the right touch of neurosis to the Omar Sharif-loving Wyatt, providing sufficient credibility to the string of coincidences in the story.  This makes for a less persuasive connection with Danielle Augustine whose Amy sounds forced.  To be fair, the actress is challenged by prolonged interaction with a disembodied voice and having to express a complex emotional life based on falsehoods.  The commanding presence of Aurora is given breadth and wit by Amilia Shaw, who takes a well deserved bow with the rest of the three dimensional cast.  

At a time when so many playwrights are exploring current events with fear and loathing, it’s refreshing to see playwright Koenig take a different path.  The Glitch proposes that with kindness and compassion tempered by a dose of healthy skepticism we are still capable of doing good for one another.  You can experience this for $50 ( $70 if you’d like to increase your support to premium level).  Performances are 2PM Wednesdays, 4PM Fridays and 6PM Sundays.  The limited engagement at The Theater Center, 210 West 50th near Broadway, ends November 2nd.  Visit https://theglitchplay.com/ for a sneak peek and purchasing information.