BROADWAY & ME QUICKIES

The Play: Seagull: True Story; a meta fantasia about a director whose avantgarde staging of Chekhov’s classic play results in his having to flee Putin’s Russia only to find that making theater in American comes with its own set of restrictions  Written by: Eli Rarey        Directed by: Alexander Molochnikov One good thing:   The battle between art and creative freedom is clearly timely and it's interesting to view it through a style of theater that unabashedly mashes up high and low sensibilities, ranging from dream ballets to slapstick comedy  One not-so-great thing:  The 2-hour-and 30-minute show might have packed a more powerful punch as a one act    

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