Concluding July 20

Rantoul and Die (Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre). The downtown theatre troupe The Amoralists stage the New York premiere of Mark Roberts' Rantoul and Die, which features Derek Ahonen, Sarah Lemp, Matthew Pilieci and Vanessa Vaché. According to the Amoralists, "In the play, Rallis and Debbie's marriage has reached its expiration date. In fact, it's soured and stuck to the bottom of the carton. She wants him to pack his stuff and hit the bricks, but he's clinging to the past like a cat on a screen door. How far will a man go to hang onto his lady? It's a thin line between love and hate, between a kiss and a punch, between an ice cream cone and a beer bottle to the back of the head." Visit Amoralists.com.

Concluding July 21

Murder Ballad (Off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre). Murder Ballad, the new musical by Julia Jordon and Juliana Nash, stars John Ellison Conlee, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Will Swenson and Caissie Levy. "A love triangle gone wrong," Murder Ballad, according to press notes, "centers on Sara, an Upper West Sider who seems to have it all, but whose downtown past lingers enticingly and dangerously in front of her. This sexy, explosive new musical explores the complications of love, the compromises we make, and the betrayals that can ultimately undo us." Visit MurderBallad.com.