Mrs. Murray's Menagerie

C+

For the first production at their new second home at Greenwich House, Ars Nova has selected this piece, created and performed by The Mad Ones, the five-person theater collective “dedicated to creating visceral, ensemble-driven, highly detailed theatrical experiences that examine and illuminate American nostalgia.” Banality and group dynamics seem to be hallmarks of their work. Last year’s Miles for Mary traced the changing relationships among a group of teachers as revealed at a series of faculty meetings over the course of a year in the late 1980’s, culminating in a memorable meltdown. The current play, set a decade earlier, traces the dynamics among a group of parents in a focus group about the children’s television show that gives the play its title. The show is about Mrs. Murray, played by an African-American woman, a singer who lives with a bunch of animal puppets. As its final season begins, the producers are looking for parental input to decide between two possible spinoffs. The session is led by the unctuous Dale (Brad Heberlee), assisted by his hapless assistant Jim (Marc Bovino) who struggles to write down on a blackboard all the participants’ responses. The six parents are Ernest (Phillip James Brannon), a bookstore owner; Roger (Joe Curnutte), a salesman who oozes male privilege; Wayne (Michael Dalto), an easy-going tool and die worker; June (Carmen M. Herlihy), affluent and a bit stolid; Celeste, who prefers to be called Cici (January LaVoy), cool and confident; and Gloria (Stephanie Wright Thompson), poor and insecure. Ernest and Cici are black. As they answer inane questions about the show, the six subtly reveal differences of class, race, gender and temperament. The actors are uniformly excellent. The period costumes by Asta Bennie Hostetter and wigs and makeup by Alfreda “Fre” Howard are marvelous. The community room set by You-Shin Chen and Laura Jellinek is aptly dreary. Lila Neugebauer once again demonstrates her skill directing an ensemble cast. Unfortunately the play has more valleys than peaks and offers little in the way of catharsis. Such restraint may be admirable, but subtlety does not always lead to compelling theater. I thought it was a step backwards from Miles for Mary. Running time: 90 minutes; no intermission.