Laugh away the winter chill by seeing an Off-Broadway comedy. From Shakespeare to Shepard to Shaw, Off-Broadway’s got a whole range of engaging comedies, both light and dark, that illuminate human foibles through farce.

AGES OF THE MOON
Byron and Ames are old friends, re-united by mutual desperation. Over bourbon on ice, they sit, reflect and bicker until fifty years of love, friendship and rivalry are put to the test at the barrel of a gun. Seán McGinley and Stephen Rea star in a gruff, poignant and funny new play by Sam Shepard. Atlantic Theater Company. Previews begin January 12, opens January 27, closes March 7.

CLYBOURNE PARK
In 1958, a white family moves out. In 2008, a white family moves in. In the intervening years, change overtakes a neighborhood. Bruce Norris's pitch-black comedy takes on the issues of gentrification in our communities, leaving no stone unturned in the process. Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theater. January 24 to March 7.

HAPPY NOW?
A chance encounter at a hotel plays upon Kitty’s mind as she struggles to balance personal freedom with family life, fidelity and a demanding job. Her husband is more interested in misplaced apostrophes than in their marriage, her parents are looking down the barrel of oblivion, and although she toys with the idea of joining a gym, Kitty’s running out of time for big changes. Happy Now? dares to ask just that in this truthful and darkly comic take on contemporary life and how to survive it. Primary Stages at 59E59. Previews begin January 26, opens February 9, closes March 6.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE
Arin Arbus (director of Theatre for a New Audience’s hit production of Othello) directs Shakespeare’s dark comedy which presents a society out of balance. Corrupt power confronts ruthless justice, the letter of the law obscures the quality of mercy, and the noblest of spirits must reflect on the basest of appetites in this sly, bawdy, provocative and extraordinarily modern play. Theatre for a New Audience at the Duke on 42nd Street. Previews begin February 6, opens February 14, closes March 14.

MISALLIANCE
Bernard Shaw’s giddy comedy of the dangerous joys of sex, love, marriage, and children quips and quibbles its way through what was supposed to be a lazy Saturday afternoon in the country. Love (or something) is in the air and wordplay is the weapon of choice in this peculiar and predatory game of courtship. Pearl Theatre Company at New York City Center Stage II. Previews begin December 4, opens December 13, closes January 24.

MR. AND MRS. FITCH
Meet gossip columnists Mr. and Mrs. Fitch. When the social circuit no longer provides juicy morsels, they find that great celebrity can appear out of thin air. Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane's (The Little Dog Laughed, Xanadu) wicked new comedy is a scathing look at who is in, who is out and who may not even exist at all. Directed by Scott Ellis, starring John Lithgow and Jennifer Ehle. Second Stage Theatre. January 26 - March 21.

SMUDGE
The world premiere of a dark comedy about the changing face of the American family and the limits of love and cheesecake, as a hopeful young couple gives birth to a smudge. The Women’s Project at the Julia Miles Theatre. Previews begin January 3, opens January 11, closes February 7.

SO HELP ME, GOD!
An uproarious backstage farce by Maurine Dallas Watkins, the author of Chicago — the play on which the musical is based. A fabulous dramatic diva (Kristen Johnston) who decides she wants to do serious drama—just so long as it’s fabulous! Also starring Anna Chlumsky. Mint Theatre Company at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Now in previews, opens December 7, closes December 20.

THIS
Jane is not okay. She’s a promising poet without a muse, a single mother without lessons to pass along. Her dating life’s a shambles, and her helpful friends are only helping make things more complicated. This bright, witty, un-romantic comedy captures the uncertain steps of a circle of friends backing their way into middle age. Playwrights Horizons, Mainstage Theater. Now in previews, opens December 2, closes December 13.

VENUS IN FUR
From the creative team of CSC’s critically acclaimed production of New Jerusalem comes a dazzling new play based on one of literature’s most infamous erotic novels. Venus in Fur takes you behind the scenes to an audition for a play in which the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, and love and hate blur. By David Ives, directed by Walter Bobbie. Classic Stage Company. January 13 – February 21, 2010.

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