BROADWAY & ME QUICKIES

The Play: Titus Andronicus; a sensational production of the first—and bloodiest—of the Bard’s tragedies about a Roman general and a Goth queen who fall into a cycle of vengeful acts that include rape, murder, amputations and cannibalism  Written by: William Shakespeare        Directed by: Jesse Berger One good thing:  It's no surprise that the great Patrick Page shines in this accessible production but it also offers a truly satisfying mix of humor, horror and melodrama that the 16th century groundlings who first saw it would have cheered and that today’s audience members—from ages 8 to 80—are sure to enjoy too   One not-so-great thing: A few of the supporting players are a touch too campy and at least one of the younger actors needs to be reminded to serve the play rather than his inflated sense of his own talent  

The Play: Spare Parts; a thought-provoking sci-fi thriller about a billionaire who’s willing and able to spend whatever it costs to keep him from aging and the scientists desperately seeking funding for a project that may give the rich guy what he wants whatever it may costs them to do it. Written by: David J. Glass        Directed by: Michael Herwitz One good thing: The four-person cast, including two-time Tony-nominee Rob McClure in a non-singing role, is top-notch One not-so-great thing: The lo-fi set suggests that the production may be operating on a shoe-string budget but the acting, direction and the twist-and-turns in the plot more than compensate     

The Play: Bughouse; a stream-of-consciousness monologue drawn from the writings of the reclusive outsider artist Henry Darger, whose 5,000-page memoir, 15,000-page novel and over 300 large watercolor paintings depicting a fantasy world where children waged battles against evil adults were all only discovered after his death  Script by: Beth Henley        Conceived and Directed by: Martha Clarke One good thing: The video projections showing animated versions of Darger’s art work, much of it featuring a nude child-rebel leader he named Annie, give a visceral feel for the obsessions that played out in his eccentric imagination One not-so-great thing: John Kelly gives a  committed performance but he isn’t able to make Darger’s overwrought writings come to life and a better sense of the artist can be found on the explanatory poster boards in the lobby    

The Play: Night Side Songs; inspired by a reference that Susan Sontag made in her seminal 1978 book “Illness As Metaphor,” this bare-bones musical charts—literally—the experiences of a terminally ill woman and the collateral effect they have on the family members who love her and the medical professionals who care for her  Words and Music by:  The Latours (brothers Daniel and Patrick)       Directed by: Taibi Magar One good thing: The five-person cast I saw, most of whom—including Mary Testa and Robin de Jesús, who deserves extra praise for performing right up until his own ill mother died a few days before the show opened—play multiple parts and do it terrifically, at times even taking up an instrument to augment  the show's lone piano  One not-so-great thing: In addition to the usual Playbills, songbooks are handed out before Night Side begins and audience members are repeatedly urged to sing along with certain numbers, which seemed to deligh...

The Play: Bigfoot;! a very campy musical about the mysterious hermit-like creature who hides away in the forest but who in this version is actually a genial guy who desperately wants to move into town and hang out with the local folks who mistakenly fear him because he's, you know, different Book by: Amber Ruffin & Kevin Sciretta       Lyrics by:   Amber Ruffin       Directed by: Danny Mefford One good thing: As his recent turn in “Elf” showed Grey Henson has become the go-to-guy to play loveable outcasts and he’s just as charming in the title role here, despite—or maybe because of—being dressed in a furry costume that makes him look like the less well-kempt kid brother of The Wizard of Oz’s Cowardly Lion One not-so-great thing:   The show is packed with lots of crowd-pleasing one-liners (or groaners, depending on your sense of humor) but unlike similar modern-day morality tales—“Bat Boy” comes to mind—it lacks the heart and the ...

The Play: Chinese Republicans; four ambitious but very different Chinese-American women meet for a series of lunches while each pursues her own way to climb the ladder at the big investment firm where they all work Written by: Alex Lin        Directed by: Chay Yew One good thing: Stories about women of color trying to make it in the corporate world are rarely seen onstage and so it’s great to get a play putting the spotlight on them One not-so-great thing:  But so many issues—racism, corporate misogyny, sexual harassment, immigration anxiety, assimilation struggles, class conflicts, generational divisions, anti-Asian violence and, as the title suggests, politics—are crammed into this play that they all end up getting short shrift, which makes the whole thing weaker than it should be