Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Pre-gaming the fall theater season with two Off-Broadway shows: THE BOOK OF MORON & MY MOTHER’S SEVERED HEAD

• By drediman
• September 14, 2021
• No Comments

Before the true onslaught of Broadway’s (re-)openings and the surge in heavy-hitting Off-Broadway shows that’s expected this fall, I had a chance to catch a pair of late summer Off-Broadway productions to whet my appetite. Here are my thoughts.

THE BOOK OF MORON
SoHo Playhouse
Through September 19

This past weekend at the SoHo Playhouse, I attended The Book of Moron (RECOMMENDED) – not to by confused with the long-running hit Broadway musical – Robert Dubac’s irreverent and very smart one-man show that’s designed to trigger audiences to look at society (e.g., politics, media, sex, race, religion, etc.) in a whole new light. This is not the first time Mr. Dubac has brought the show to New York (I had actually seen a previous iteration back in 2015 at Urban Stages), and he’s updated some of the material to incorporate the significant happenings that have since transpired since he was last in town. The show, which wholeheartedly embraces contradictions as it seeks to uncover the “truth”, is an interesting concoction. Exuberantly directed by Garry Handling and performed with deadpan glee by Mr. Dubac, the piece somehow fluidly straddles academic lecture, stand-up comedy, traditional theater, and even magic shows. There’s no doubt that Mr. Dubac, who plays a multitude of characters throughout the 80-minute show, is a whip-smart performer, and he’s not one to shy away from showing off his smarts. Indeed, he’s quick to make (dis-)connections every which way, and as with the more savvy mentalists and illusionists working in the entertainment industry, he’s usually one step ahead of us at every turn.

MY MOTHER’S SEVERED HEAD
Theatre Row
Through October 2

Last night, I attended the opening night of Charles Cissel’s My Mother’s Severed Head (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED) at Theatre Row. To state that Mr. Cissel’s new dark comedy (which has Bruce Willis attached as one of its producers) is a wild ride would be an understatement. It generously pours magic realism, Latinx sass (including a healthy dose of Spanish dialogue), absurdist theater, and Eugene O’Neill angst into the pot and hopes for the best. The play starts off promisingly with a premise that’s just plain wacky, depicting a dysfunctional family whose matriarch has literally lost her head (which is displayed on an altar in the family restaurant). Unfortunately, as the play unfolds, it eventually becomes clear that Mr. Cissel has attempted to tackle just way too much, and his play ultimately ends up a dense and muddled curiosity (the play’s psychoanalytic ending particularly had me scratching my head!). My Mother’s Severed Head is performed by a game cast with a sustained full throttle emotionalism that stays on the same note for the duration of the show’s 80-minute running time. Sufficiently directed with bold strokes by Richard Caliban, the production also features pungent live musical underscoring that lends authenticity to the staging. Despite my misgivings, it’s a hoot to see the Latinx culture represented so outrageously loud and proud onstage in New York.