All in the Timing *****

It was with some apprehension that I attended a preview of Primary Stages' 20th anniversary revival of David Ives's early hit. I remembered these zany sketches so fondly that I feared I could not possibly enjoy them as much a second time. I need not have worried. Under John Rando's flawless direction, Ives's six playlets are fresh as ever. The excellent cast (Eric Clem, Carson Elrod, Jenn Harris, Liv Rooth and Matthew Saldivar) are up to the high standards set by the original actors. Beowulf Boritt's set and Anita Yavich's costumes add greatly to the fun. Ives' delightful wordplay and comic social observations stand the test of time. "Sure Thing" and "The Universal Language" remain my personal favorites, although "Words, Words, Words" and "Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread" are not far behind. "The Philadelphia" is amusing, but runs on a bit too long. Only "Variations of the Death of Trotsky" disappointed, lacking the inventiveness of the other plays; unfortunately, it concludes the evening. Even the scene changes are amusing. If your funny bone needs a tickle, hurry to 59E59. You won't regret it. Running time: one hour, 45 minutes including intermission.

Silence! The Musical **

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When the "unauthorized parody" of Silence of the Lambs now playing at PS 122 turned up on TDF, I decided to give it a try. I knew it would be raunchy, but it was even coarser than I expected. I would blush to repeat the name of Dr. Lecter's big number. Wine and beer are available to bring into the theater -- with a few drinks, it might be more entertaining. As it was, I was growing weary of it long before its 90 minutes were over. The uncomfortable seats didn't help. An earlier version ran for two hours; I was glad I didn't have to sit through that. Jenn Harris's Clarice Starling is delightfully over the top and David Garrison is fine as Hannibal Lecter. The rest of the cast is good too: Annie Funke and Deidre Goodwin can really belt out a song. Ashlee Dupré and Callan Bergmann's dance number as the dream versions of Clarice and Hannibal is hilarious. The songs by Jon and Al Kaplan are serviceable at best. Hunter Bell's book manages to hit most of the film's highlights. Christopher Gattelli's choreography was consistently clever. He also directed. Unless you are a big fan of the movie and have a high tolerance for raunch as well as camp, this is one to skip.