Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ana Nogueira’s entertaining new comedy WHICH WAY TO THE STAGE is at its best when it allows its characters to thrive

• By drediman
• May 12, 2022
• No Comments

Earlier this week at the Newman Mills Theater, Ana Nogueira’s entertaining new comedy Which Way to the Stage opened Off-Broadway courtesy of MCC Theater. The play is an unabashed love letter to musical theater and the art form’s obsessive and opinionated fans. In the play, these fans are manifested by two “BFFs” – Judy, a cis straight woman, and Jeff, a flamboyant gay man who more than dabbles in drag – who spend a substantial amount of their time (when they’re not auditioning for heavily sought-after acting gigs or hanging out at gay bars) at the stage-door of a Broadway theater trying to get the elusive Idina Menzel’s autograph. Then comes along Mark, a conventionally handsome, seemingly straight-acting white man, who stirs up drama when he inserts himself into their lives.

As an actress, Ms. Nogueira is a firecracker, and she brings the same pop and incisive sensibility to her playwriting. Given her experience in front of the footlights, she understands how plays ought to flow, which is evident in the tightly crafted scenes she’s written for her play. Which Way to the Stage is a theater geek’s wet dream, thanks to its relentless barrage of theater references, which are often hilariously on point. However, the play misses the mark somewhat in its attempts to wrestle with weightier – albeit well-trodden – matters relating to identity and self-worth vis-à-vis musical theater and drag culture. Although issues like sexism and homophobia (particularly within the theater industry) are raised and explored in admittedly rather articulate ways, Ms. Nogueira’s slight play loses its way when it asks its characters to play the victim. As if to compensate, the play flashily concludes in an empowering, crowd-pleasing fashion that feels neither earned nor organic.

Thankfully, the play has been directed by Mike Donahue largely with the interest of teasing out the play’s levity and humor, of which there is a considerable amount. The scenes unfold snappily and with considerable heart in the hands of the production’s very capable four-person cast. In the central roles of Judy and Jeff, Sas Goldberg and Max Jenkins are both lovably neurotic. Although I only half bought their respective vulnerabilities – the play is at its best when it allows its characters to thrive – and the rift that eventually interrupts their friendship, I found them utterly convincing as helplessly devoted theater nerds. As the work’s enigmatic interloper Mark, the strapping Evan Todd is as charming and chameleonic as they come. Rounding out the cast is Michelle Veintimilla, who plays the work’s miscellaneous characters, and she’s a hoot throughout.

RECOMMENDED

WHICH WAY TO THE STAGE
Off-Broadway, Play
MCC Theater
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 22