Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – A pair of new, fully-staged plays grace Off-Broadway stages: TRIAL ON THE POTOMAC & ALMA BAYA

• By drediman
• August 18, 2021
• No Comments

I recently had the chance to take in a pair of new, fully-staged Off-Broadway plays in Hell’s Kitchen – encouraging signs that Off-Broadway is clawing itself back out of the pandemic hole. Here are my thoughts on them.

TRIAL ON THE POTOMAC, THE IMPEACHMENT OF RICHARD NIXON
Theatre at St. Clement’s
Through September 4

First up at the Theatre at St. Clement’s is George Bugatti’s 90-minute political courtroom drama Trial on the Potomac, The Impeachment of Richard Nixon (RECOMMENDED). The new work – think a cross between All the Way and A Few Good Men – reimagines history by speculating how things would have panned out had President Nixon chosen to fight back and undergo an impeachment trial instead of resigning from office over the Watergate scandal. Although Mr. Bugatti’s episodic, old fashioned play is somewhat bogged down by exposition and some telegraphed writing/acting, I’d still recommend a trip to St. Clement’s solely for the opportunity to at long last again experience an expansive, fully-staged play. Indeed, with a cast of 14, the play is ambitiously scaled, which is terribly exciting to see once more on any New York stage, let alone within the intimate confines of an Off-Broadway house. As Nixon, legendary mimic Rich Little (who is notable for impersonating other U.S. Presidents, like President Reagan) exudes easy command and charisma onstage that had the audience in the palm of his hand. I just wish the play featured more of him.

ALMA BAYA
A.R.T/New York Theatres / Untitled Theatre Company No. 61
In-person through August 28 / On-demand through September 19

Then there’s Edward Einhorn’s Alma Baya (RECOMMENDED) at A.R.T./New York Theatres. Taking place in the future on a hostile planet, the new play is an absurdist sci-fi comedy/drama – think a hybrid between Waiting for Godot and Alien – about two clones stuck pining away their days in a claustrophobic, tenuously self-sustaining pod. When a mysterious third character enters the picture, the balance of power is thrown off and the scramble for the pod’s limited resources commences. All within the course of 75 efficiently-plotted minutes, Mr. Einhorn (who also directs) manages to conjure a self-contained but fully-realized world and scenario, all the while retaining the vague menace of a Pinter play. Aside from being an astute psychological thriller, the play also functions as a sort of microcosmic metaphor for the world we currently live in and where we’re headed as a civilization. At my performance, the trio of JaneAnne Halter, Nina Mann, and Maggie Cino (two very different casts rotate in the three roles as an extra precaution against Covid) were excellent and fully invested in the world Mr. Einhorn has meticulously created. To maximize accessibility, Alma Baya is available to be experienced in-person or via streaming/on-demand viewing.