Bughouse @ the Vineyard Theatre

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