Concluding May 11
The Heir Apparent (Off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company). The Heir Apparent, David Ives' comedy about familial fortunes, features Suzanne Bertish as Madame Argante, Carson Elrod as Crispin, Claire Karpen as Lisette, Amelia Pedlow as Isabelle, David Pittu as Scruple, Dave Quay as Eraste and Paxton Whitehead as Geronte. "Meet young Eraste. He has it all: good looks, a beautiful fiancée, and a huge inheritance from an ancient uncle," press notes state. "There's just one little problem: the uncle won't die and he's bequeathed his entire fortune to a distant relative. Oh, and did we mention the uncle also intends to marry Eraste's fiancée? What's a fine 18th-century fellow to do? What else but enlist the aid of his resourceful servant, Crispin, who could 'out-Figaro' Figaro." Visit ClassicStage.org.
The Threepenny Opera (Off-Broadway at the Linda Gross Theater). The Atlantic Theater Company's production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's musical The Threepenny Opera features F. Murray Abraham, Laura Osnes, Mary Beth Peil and Michael Park. "Based on John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, The Threepenny Opera follows the charismatic scoundrel Macheath (Park) and his criminal exploits in 19th century London," press notes state. "When Macheath marries Polly Peachum (Osnes), the straight-laced daughter of powerful, miserly merchant JJ. Peachum (Abraham), their unlikely union unleashes the chaos of manhunts, bribes, and imprisonment. In this 'opera for beggars,' an assortment of salacious characters maneuver for advantage, revealing a profoundly corrupt society." Visit AtlanticTheater.org.
Irma La Douce (Off-Broadway at New York City Center). The City Center Encores! production of Irma La Douce features Malcolm Gets, Jennifer Bowles, Rob McClure, Sam Bolen, Ben Crawford, Stephen DeRosa, Zachary James, Ken Krugman and Chris Sullivan. "Encores! breaks the mold with its first musical not written on American soil with Irma La Douce, the tale of a Parisian lady of the evening (Bowles) and the law student (McClure) who falls in love with her," press notes state. Visit NYCityCenter.org.
The Mystery of Irma Vep (Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theater). Red Bull Theater presents Charles Ludlam's two-man satirical play The Mystery of Irma Vep in celebration of the production's 30th anniversary. Arnie Burton and Robert Sella, who both play numerous characters, star under the direction of Everett Quinton. Here's how the production is billed: "A true American classic of theatrical language and transformation, careening outrageously through Shakespeare, Victorian melodrama, Poe and Hitchcock. With just two actors engaged in a high style quick-change act, this hilariously horrifying drama marks the return of the Ridiculous to the West Village — replete with werewolves, vampires and mummies. After his first wife, Irma, meets her unfortunate demise on the mysterious moors, Egyptologist Lord Edgar takes Lady Enid as his second wife, much to the dismay of his protective maid, Jane, and his leering swineherd, Nicodemus. But when Lady Enid suffers a similarly supernatural attack, life at Mandacrest Estate quickly becomes a gripping whodunit (or whatdunit) where nothing is remotely what it seems." Visit RedBullTheater.com. Your Mother's Copy of the Kama Sutra (Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons). Your Mother's Copy of the Kama Sutra, Kirk Lynn's new comedy about sexual histories, comprises Ismenia Mendes, Maxx Brawer, Zoë Sophia Garcia, Rebecca Henderson, Will Pullen and Chris Stack. "Carla (Ms. Garcia) agrees to marry Reggie (Mr. Stack) on one condition: to break down any walls between them, they'll reenact their individual sexual histories with one another, good and bad, for better or worse," press notes state. "Years later, these stories bring unexpected hope to their household, now forced to confront those barriers a second time. Kirk Lynn's tough-love comedy navigates the boundaries of intimacy, finding startling empathy in the story of a father hell-bent on saving his family." Visit PlaywrightsHorizons.org.
La Soirée (Off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre). La Soirée is described as "high glamour and low inhibition entertainment for those who enjoy the risky and the risqué. Audiences around the world have been seduced by the case of singular entertainers and their astonishingly sexy, funny and downright dangerous take on cabaret and variety." Visit LaSoireeUS.com.
