THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Mad Ones’ MRS. MURRAY’S MENAGERIE is a triumph in meticulously crafted realism

The ensemble of the Ars Nova production of The Mad Ones' "Mrs. Murray's Menagerie" at the Greenwich House Theatre. Photo by Ben Arons.

The ensemble of the Ars Nova production of The Mad Ones’ “Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie” at the Greenwich House Theater. Photo by Ben Arons.

I recently had the opportunity to pay a visit to the Ars Nova production of The Mad Ones’ Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie at the Greenwich House Theater. I’ve seen only one other production devised by The Mad Ones. That would be the excellent Miles for Mary, both in its original run at the Bushwick Starr, as well as its remounting at Playwrights Horizons. That theatrical experience was one of the most distinctive I’ve had in recent memory.

Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie continues the company’s exploration of presenting intensely naturalistic theater. Set in the late 1970s, the play depicts a focus group comprised of parents of children who are fans of a fictitious children’s show. In real time, the group dissects two potential spin-offs of the mentioned television program. Much like Miles of Mary and the plays of Annie Baker (particularly her Pulitzer Prize-winning The Flick), that play thrives on subtext. But even more so than those works, The Mad Ones’ latest delves further into naturalism, potentially risking losing the audiences in the process.

I needn’t have worried. Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie is a triumph in meticulously calibrated and crafted theatrical realism. Now a known commodity, director Lila Neugebauer (who helmed this season’s Broadway revival of Kenneth Lonergan’s The Waverly Gallery, as well as the aforementioned Miles for Mary) once again shapes the piece with her trademark attention to detail. Everything from the venue down to the period perfect wigs/hairdos has been carefully considered. Indeed, she’s never been as fully attuned to each moment’s nuances as she is in this production. The ensemble cast – many of them have worked together in previous shows – is impeccable, creating fully-formed characters out of subtle looks and gestures. To single any one out would be to do the others a great disservice.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

MRS. MURRAY’S MENAGERIE
Off-Broadway, Play
Ars Nova / The Mad Ones at the Greenwich House Theater
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 11

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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