THE HANGOVER REPORT – David Ives’ THE METROMANIACS is pure hilarity in rhyming couplets

The company of David Ives' "The Metromaniacs" at The Duke on 42nd Street, courtesy of Red Bull Theater.

The company of David Ives’ “The Metromaniacs” at The Duke on 42nd Street, courtesy of Red Bull Theater.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child wasn’t the only production to open yesterday on 42nd Street. Practically next door at The Duke, a very, very funny staging of David Ives’ The Metromaniacs, based on an obscure French farce from the 1700s, opened via the folks at Red Bull Theater. This light-as-air confection of mixed identities, frolicking and rollicking, and happy endings is a fine match for Mr. Ives’ brash rhyming couplets (yep, the entire play is written in this style). Instead of getting tiresome, these couplets escalate in hilarity, leaving the audience in stitches by the end of the evening.

I had actually seen the production previously when it was performed three years ago by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. I feel the same way now as I did back then. The production, directed by long-time Shakespeare Theatre Company artistic director Michael Kahn, happily takes the less ponderous route, giving us a production that doesn’t outstay its welcome. On the contrary, it leaves the audience wanting more. The players are all game, and their commitment to Mr. Kahn’s fast and furious aesthetic is a joy to behold.

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THE METROMANIACS
Off-Broadway, Play
Red Bull Theater at The Duke on 42nd Street
1 hour, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Through May 26

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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