Hoping to continue in the tradition of Blue Man Group and Fool Moon are "The New Bozena," a trio of "slacker clowns" opened their show, titled Winter Is The Coldest Season, at the Cherry Lane Theatre on Halloween night. But the spirits appear to have been on their side.

Audience demand for the show has been extremely strong, with lines of "waiting list" patrons being turned away at the door each night.

Reviews for The New Bozena have been mixed to positive, with Clive Barnes of the New York Post noting that "They are funny -- often very funny - and they have decently polished clown techniques. At times they push running jokes too far, and their show as a whole needs more, or perversely, less of an overall theme. As it is, it looks as though some tough decisions over shape and structure were never made, or perhaps never even faced."

Rainn Wilson directed the three post-modern clowns, David Costabile, Michael Dahlen and Kevin Isola.

This Off-Broadway production, mounted by Falstaff Presents, will re-open the newly renovated Cherry Lane Theatre on Commerce Street. Why slacker slapstick? Production representative Kevin Rehac quotes the trio as saying that clowning, "reveals both the vulnerability and absurdity of the human condition. It's also a great way to meet girls."

-- By David Lefkowitz