Short Reviews

Three plays I saw that are worth your money:

1. I Am My Own Wife: If you are a fan of virtuoso acting, run to see Jefferson Mays' performance - he plays over 20 roles in this intriguing play by Doug Wright. The play concerns Wright's investigation of the East German Charlotta von Mahlsdorf, a man who survived both the Nazis and the Communists while dressed as a woman. I can find no words to adequately describe Mays - his performance is a combination of technical brilliance and emotional depth. Kudos also to director Moises Kaufman, who, as the creator of documentary-style The Laramie Project, is uniquely suited to this production. The play itself is also excellent. Charlotta is an inconsistent character, who may have worked as a Stasi spy and may also be a compulsive liar, and Wright doesn't force us to conclusions about her life. The audience is left with a mystery.

2. The Beard of Avon: Charming, if a bit slight, this new play from Amy Freed nearly made me wet my pants laughing. (But then again, I am the sort of person to laugh at things like "Regina Dentata.") In this production, "Will Shakespar" is a neophyte actor whose gift for poetry and low social status make him the perfect "beard" for noble playwrights such as Edward De Vere and Queen Elizabeth. The play is way too long, and Tim Blake Nelson is not entirely convincing as Shakespeare, but Mark Harelik's performance as the cruel, polymorphously perverse De Vere is a real treat.

3. Mabou Mines' Dollhouse: Yes, it's the version of A Doll's House where all the men are played by dwarves. (For the curious, writer and director Lee Breuer explains this choice in the Village Voice here.) Surprisingly, most of the time it works - there's one chilling scene where it appears that Torvald might rape Nora, and the fact that he's at least two feet smaller than her doesn't make him any less threatening. Dollhouse is also way too long, and I'm not entirely sure I understood the "operatic" ending. However, both Mark Povinelli as Torvald and Maude Mitchell as Nora are superb, as is Ricardo Gil as Dr. Rank, whose last scene is tremendously moving: after obliquely announcing his death to Nora, he's picked up by one of the female cast members dressed in a flowing white robe with a skeleton mask. In his dignity and sadness, Rank no longer looks small - instead, he appears to have been embraced by a giant angel. Trust me, it was beautiful.