With the second half of the 2024-25 theater season about to kick off—with multiple shows opening on- and off-Broadway every week starting March 1—now might be a good time to look at some of the shows launched this winter. Frequently shows that open in January and February off-Broadway stand a slight chance of moving to Broadway, but many are placeholders, designed to sell tickets to theater-goers looking to beat the winter doldrums. Some are worthwhile and some should be avoided at all costs (and with the price of tickets on the rise, cost is important to most of us).
Mindplay (***/***** three stars out of five).
Through April 20 at the Greenwich House Theater in the West Village.
The New York theater scene has been blessed many times over the last few years with terrific magic/illusion/mentalist shows from Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself (2017) to Derren Brown’s Broadway hit, Secret (2019), not to mention limited productions by the legendary Penn & Teller. The latest in this category is Vinny DePonto’s Mindplay, currently running at Greenwich House Theater. DePonto’s featured illusions are indeed impressive. He kicks off the show (after audience members are asked to fill out questionnaires before entering the theater) asking, “What’s on your mind?”
He then proceeds to delve impressively into the audience’s thoughts and emotional states, correctly sussing participants’ responses on the questionnaires. While the mind-reading feats are truly staggering for the most part, his patter and set up don’t quite measure up to his predecessors, leaving the show with lulls and seemingly awkward moments. Where Brown and DeGaudio’s shows were polished to perfection, with no dull moments, Mindplay occasionally stalls and lets one wonder, “okay, where’s this going next,” which simply shouldn’t happen at a magic show. Nonetheless, it’s a terrific piece of work for lovers of the genre.
Safe House (**/***** 2 stars out of 5).
Through March 2 at St. Ann’s Warehouse in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
There’s definitely an audience for Enda Walsh’s Safe House, but it’s a pretty small one, consisting primarily of die-hard advocates of performance art and abstract movement pieces. But for the rest of us, even the relatively brief 90-minute run time is excruciating. A sung-through, solo musical (music by Anna Mullarkey) imported from Ireland’s Abbey Theatre, it’s the story of a young, mentally ill, alcoholic woman living on the streets and reflecting on what, for her, was a traumatic childhood—but we don’t really see a whole lot of evidence of this trauma, just birthday parties with bored or depressed family members and she, as a child, cycling through feelings of elation and sadness. The show’s overwhelming shortcoming lies in the succession of songs—sung in a Sinead O’Connor-esque, high-pitched lilt that some may find hard to experience—that are practically indistinguishable, one from the next.
Beckett Briefs (****/***** 4 stars out of 5).
Through March 16 at the Irish Repertory Theatre in Chelsea
For theater-goers seeking an intellectual challenge with a heavy dose of existential contemplation, three of Samuel Beckett’s short plays are being presented as Beckett Briefs, now playing at the Irish Repertory Theatre. The production’s notable anchor is Krapp’s Last Tape, starring Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham as an older man listening to his younger self’s thoughts on old tape recordings. Notably, he finds them disappointing and is quick to criticize his youthful flippancy and naivete—as many of us might be wont to do. Krapp’s reflections on his youthful enthusiasm and his ensuing disappointment are a harsh commentary on the futility of nostalgia and/or the making of grand plans for the future.
The first two pieces in the production, Not I, an approximately 10 minute monologue by the disembodied mouth of a 70-year-old woman (the very excellent Sarah Street) who had, up until this moment, been unable to speak. Her words, in a high-pitched lilt, come pouring out at breakneck speed. One would be helped by being already familiar with the piece before trying to decipher all that is said, but it is an impactful, emotional performance either way. Then there’s Play, which features three disembodied heads (Kate Forbes, Roger Dominic Casey and Sarah Street) hovering over urns containing the (now dead) characters’ ashes. The dialog is essentially a re-hashing of a love triangle that took place while all three were alive. Beckett, a sly humorist whose edges were generally tinted with dark, existential edges, uses the piece to comment on the utter idiocy of interpersonal conflicts and hurt feelings by pointing out the futility and absurdity of imaging that we might be carrying on with earthly conflicts long after we’ve died.
Beautifully staged by Charlie Corcoran (set) and lit by Michael Gottlieb under Ciarán O’Reilly’s direction, Beckett Briefs presents a rare opportunity to see these three important works on the professional stage. Add to that the chance to see the 85-year-old F. Murray Abraham demonstrate his absolute mastery of his craft, and you’ve got a production that really shouldn’t be missed.
