Off-Broadway Shows to Cure Your Winter Woes
The holidays are over and amidst the dismantling of twinkling decorations and the once vibrant holiday markets closing up shop, many Manhattanites are fighting the onslaught of the winter blues. As the days get shorter and the nights get chillier, keep those cold weather doldrums at bay with one of the must-see new shows heating up an Off-Broadway stage in your neighborhood.
How The World Began – Make the journey from Manhattan to the (slightly) warmer locale of Plainview, Kansas in How The World Began at The Peter Jay Sharp Theater. Presented by The Women’s Theatre Project, the enthralling production follows Susan, a high school biology teacher, as she unwittingly lights a fire under the people of Plainview and ignites a controversy with a casual remark made in her classroom. In performances through January 29.
Psycho Therapy – Indulge in a little couples therapy for three to lift your spirits with the new comedy Psycho Therapy at The Cherry Lane Theatre. Join Lily, her fiancée and her studly ex-boyfriend on therapist Nancy Winston’s comfy couch as they spar it out over matters of the mind and the heart. In performances January 17 – February 25.
Russian Transport – If the cookie cutter family dramas on television aren’t breaking you out of your winter funk, head over to Theatre Row for The New Group’s world premiere of Russian Transport at the Acorn Theatre. Savor the suspense as the normalcy of a struggling Russian family in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn (led by Janeane Garofalo) dissolves as a mysterious family member threatens to pull them into his world of danger and intrigue. In performances January 17 – March 10.
How I Learned to Drive – Join Broadway veteran Norbert Leo Butz and Twilight’s Elizabeth Reaser in Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning production How I Learned To Drive at Second Stage Theatre. This surprisingly witty drama explores the darker side of the relationship between Li’l Bit and her Uncle Peck as his control and manipulation turn their innocent driving lessons into something much more complex. In performances January 24 – March 11.
Rutherford & Son – Find a corner in the cozy confines of the Mint Theater and enjoy the next theatrical gem on their roster, Rutherford & Son, written 100 years ago by Githa Sowerby. Set in the industrial north of England, follow iron-fisted John Rutherford as he battles the underhanded rebellion of his eldest son while determined to prevent the legacy of the family glassworks from shattering. In performances February 4 – April 1.