Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Storytelling takes center stage in Mary Kate O Flanagan’s MAKING A SHOW OF MYSELF and Simon Rich’s ALL OUT

• By drediman
• February 13, 2026
• No Comments

Feel like curling up to a good yarn? You’re in luck, friend, because currently on the boards this winter, there are two notable shows that are attempting to win over audiences with the inherent potency of good old storytelling — albeit, on vastly disparate scales. As per usual, read on for my thoughts on these vignette-driven theatrical offerings.

MAKING A SHOW OF MYSELF
Irish Repertory Theatre
Through March 1

In Mary Kate O Flanagan’s Making a Show of Myself (RECOMMENDED), storytelling and life lessons take center stage via six distinct deeply personal vignettes, each invariably (and stealthily) funny, sad, and touching — sometimes all at the same time. Presented by Off-Broadway’s Irish Repertory Theatre in the Chelsea theater venue’s tiny and cozy subterranean studio space, the ultimately life-affirming show draws from various points of O Flanagan’s own life (the work was originally performed in 2023 at Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre). Taken collectively, these autobiographical snippets paint a holistic portrait of a woman whose sense of herself has been defined through the lens of the tales she tells about her life experiences, complete with its various unexpected twists and turns. Suffice to say, O Flanagan is a steadfast, masterful storyteller, and she draws you in with her thoughtfulness, the range of her emotional palette, and reassuring stage presence. In between each story, our gracious host and guide takes it upon herself to expound on the paramount importance of the particularly Irish art of storytelling. As subtly directed by Will O’Connell, the seemingly unassuming performance steadily sneaks up on you with its quietly profound perspectives on love, loss, family, and community. All in all, Making a Show of Myself is a class act.

ALL OUT: COMEDY ABOUT AMBITION
Nederlander Theatre
Through March 8

Following the success of last season’s All In: Comedy About Love (in a rarity these days, the production actually recouped its investment), writer Simon Rich has returned to the Great White Way — this time at the Nederlander Theatre — with round two of, at best, moderately amusing tales, this time centered around a different theme. Entitled All Out: Comedy About Ambition (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), it’s obvious that the topic du jour revolves around selfishness, ego, and envy. Unfortunately, the lavishly produced show’s primary gimmick of casting a rotating door of high profile comedians — largely from the world of television — fails to camouflage the threadbare tales at its core. At the performance I attended, the celebrity cast included Sarah Silverman, Heidi Gardner, Jason Mantzoukas, and Craig Robinson. Each valiantly attempted to inject profundity and humor into Rich’s largely sophomoric and comedically flat stories that range from the life story of Paul Revere’s horse to a chronicle of New York City’s love/hate relationship with its inhabitants. Given the lackluster writing, it’s unlikely that audiences have been returning to experience the show with a new cast. The show’s other gimmick is the incorporation of complementary live music, which broadly comments on the stories being told. For All Out, Rich and busy director Alex Timbers have tapped the brother-and-sister pop outfit Lawrence to pen and perform original new songs for the show. For better or worse, these high energy bops all but hijack the show. Indeed, Lawrence claims the stage as their own, performing with both a badass smirk and an adorably wholesome gee-whiz quality. Better to market the show as a concert of theirs.