Tra-la! It’s May! The lusty month of May! That lovely month where everyone goes blissfully astray… And straight into Off-Broadway theatres where several new shows are beginning performances this month (in alphabetical order):

10 THINGS TO SEE BEFORE I DIE When a delivery of boxes from their recently deceased father arrives, two dissimilar sisters must reconnect and re-examine their complicated history in Zakkiyah Alexander’s new dramedy. Second Stage at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre, May 12- June 14.

CORALINE Neil Gaiman’s creepy children’s book, recently transformed into an animated film, is now a world-premiere new musical by Stephen Merritt and David Greenspan, starring Jayne Houdyshell. MCC Theater at The Lucille Lortel Theatre, May 7 – June 20.

DANNY AND SYLVIA: THE DANNY KAYE MUSICAL Many of Danny's hit songs including “Tchaikovsky,” “Anatole of Paris,” “Minnie the Moocher” and “Deena” are seamlessly woven into the story of Danny's rise from an improvisational comic to an international film star under the guidance of Sylvia Fine who served as mentor, manager and wife. St. Luke's Theatre, open run begins May 6.

FLAMINGO COURT Luigi Creatore’s comedic triptych of life in three South Florida condos and its nosy and endearing residents returns to New World Stages in an open run.

GROUNDSWELL Direct from South Africa, Scott Elliot directs Ian Bruce’s play, a psychological thriller about hunger and hope, and the glittering promises of a transforming society set on the barren, diamond-diving coast of South Africa. The New Group at The Acorn Theatre, May 4 - June 27.

FOR LOVERS ONLY: LOVE SONGS... NOTHING BUT LOVE SONGS A cavalcade of love songs from pop to Puccini, from Broadway and around the world, interspersed through a fast-paced evening, directed and choreographed by Christopher Scott, with musical direction by Ken Lundie. Now playing an open run at New World Stages.

MAKE ME A naughty comic fugue as the familiar becomes hilariously depraved, playwrights Leslie Ayvazian’s world premiere challenges all of our assumptions about what makes love work and who’s really in charge. Atlantic Theater, Stage 2, May 20 – June 14.

OFFICES Following the success of last year’s Almost an Evening, Oscar-winner Ethan Coen returns with a triune about hiring and firing, workplace pressures, competition, and meaningless work. Accordingly, the three short plays that make up Offices are comedies. Atlantic Theater, through May 31.

OUR HOUSE As reality collides with reality TV, a sobering drama becomes sexy entertainment, and we're eyewitness to a crisis that holds the nation riveted. Michael Mayer directs Theresa Rebeck’s NYC premiere at Playwrights Horizons, May 15 – June 21.

THE RIVALRY In 1858, two extraordinary men shared a podium to debate issues that would rock the world. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, the nation's most charismatic orators, tackled these historic debates with a fervor and an energy which hypnotized the nation. Irish Repertory Theatre, May 15 - July 5.

THINGS OF DRY HOURS In Depression-era Alabama, an African American out-of-work Sunday school teacher/member of the Communist Party, and his have their lives turned upside down when they take in a mysterious white factory worker on the run. New York Theatre Workshop, May 22 – June 28.