In a corrupt society, a duplicitous second-in-command attempts to legislate morality as religious convictions are put to the test and justice is a sword often wielded while looking in the other direction. We’re not talking about the latest headlines; this is the world of Shakespeare’s 1603/1604 dramedy MEASURE FOR MEASURE, in an all-new production by Theatre for a New Audience.

For those of us who skipped our Shakespeare 201 class, here’s a quick plot summary: Duke Vincentio (Jefferson Mays) departs Vienna, ostensibly for a diplomatic trip, and leaves his city in the charge of his deputy. The upright Angelo (Rocco Sisto) takes this opportunity to crack down on the city’s rampant vice and has Claudio (LeRoy McClain) arrested and sentenced to death for fornication and the pregnancy of his fiancée. The imprisoned Claudio sends his friend Lucio (Alfredo Narciso) to his sister, Isabella (Elisabeth Waterston), in the hopes that she might gain an audience with the acting ruler. Angelo’s hypocritical proposal: if Isabella, a postulant nun, gives him her virginity, Angelo will spare Claudio. Meanwhile, the Duke has donned a monk’s disguise in order to spy on his city’s affairs, whereby he learns of Angelo’s dastardly plans and attempts to thwart them.

Labeled one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays” due to its uneasy juxtaposition of high-stakes drama and bawdy comedy, not to mention its finale in which all the characters are paired off in unhappy arrangements, MEASURE FOR MEASURE is catnip to ambitious directors and actors.

As the Duke, Jefferson Mays, is truly a prince. You may recall Mays from his award-winning turn in the Pulitzer Prize-winning solo play I Am My Own Wife, and his detailed work here is a master class to aspiring actors. Look for the scene in which the Duke, masquerading as a friar, attempts to write in his notebook and can’t get his pen to work, paralleling his character’s reputation as a weak, ineffectual leader. He even finds credible motivation for the play’s bizarre denouement in which the Duke proposes marriage to Isabella.

Alfredo Narciso also gives a fascinating performance as the slimy, opportunistic Lucio, a characterization that would be at home among the lowlifes of The Threepenny Opera. With a cocked eyebrow, his disparaging remarks about Vienna’s leader to the incognito Duke ended in a kiss-off that got a great response, particularly from a group of rapt high school students, who hung on every word director Arin Arbus’s clear-eyed, accessible two-and-a-half hour production.

31-year-old Arbus is a rising star among directors, having made an auspicious Off-Broadway debut with TFANA's 2009 critically-acclaimed production of Othello. That production was the darling of last year’s Lucille Lortel Awards nominations as it picked up six nods, more than any other production, including one for Arbus herself. Her follow-up foray into Shakespeare’s world does not disappoint.

The schedule for MEASURE FOR MEASURE is as follows: Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm; Saturday matinees at 2pm, Sunday performances at 3pm and 7pm. Exceptions:
 no evening show on Sunday 3/7.; added Wed matinee on 3/10.; no performance on 3/2, 3/3. 
Visit www.tfana.org for full performance calendar. Single tickets are $75 and may be purchased via phone at 646-223-3010 or via the web at www.dukeon42.org. For ages 25 and under, $10 New Deal tickets may be purchased in person during box office hours at The Duke on 42nd Street or via the phone at (646) 223-3010. New Deal tickets are available for any performance, any time, one ticket per valid ID, which is required to pick up tickets at the box office.

New York is seeing a vast array of gay-themed plays this spring. This surprising theatrical trend covers historical topics, as depicted in The Temperamentals, and The Pride, as well as a new environmental production of Mart Crowley’s 1968 groundbreaking hit The Boys in the Band. In addition, last year’s Off-Broadway hit Next Fall, which concerns a modern gay couple and their conflicts over religious differences, is currently in previews on Broadway. And then there’s YANK! A WWII LOVE STORY, a sensational musical drama about soldiers who fight not only the Axis but also their powerful feelings for each other amidst the turmoil of the war.

A modern-day young man (Bobby Steggert) discovers an old journal in San Francisco rummage shop and is drawn into the saga of Stu (Steggert again), a scared 18-year-old kid undergoing basic training to fight in World War II. Stu clearly doesn’t fit in with the rest of his squadron, a jocular bunch of guys who boast about their girls back home and give their bumbling mate the nickname “Light Loafers.” Only the alpha male, Mitch (Ivan Hernandez), encourages Stu, beginning with an inadvertently seductive lesson in boot-polishing. As the two men clandestinely discover their growing attraction for each other, they react in their own ways, with Mitch retreating emotionally and Stu transferring to another unit to take photographs for Yank, a servicemen’s magazine that gives the musical its title. Circumstances soon reunite them as the squadron prepares to invade Japan on the front line.

For YANK!, fraternal writing team Joseph and David Zellnik have created a full-bodied, emotional score (just wait ‘til you hear the glorious men’s choral sound!), blessedly free from much of modern musical theatre’s “wink-wink” irony. The story sets out to homage then subvert the “we’re-all-in-this-together” mentality of vintage war movies, while the songs are clearly influenced by 40’s era pop songs, with a harmonic complexity that Rodgers and Hammerstein wouldn’t have dreamed of.

In a way, YANK! takes place in an alternate universe to their shows: the Seabees of South Pacific might well have fought alongside these soldiers. And just as a farmgirl took smelling salts to make her mind up in Oklahoma! via a dream ballet, Stu’s sip of homemade moonshine initiates a similar pas de deux waltz-like hallucination, beautifully performed by Jordan Medeiros and Denis Lambert, and choreographed by Jeffrey Denman. Denman also portrays Stu’s magazine writing partner who mentors his young charge in the covert signs of homosexuality through the brilliantly conceived tap number, “Click.”

The whole cast is fantastic. Hernandez’s physique and impossibly dimpled cheeks bring to mind Mario Lopez, while his gorgeous voice recalls the robust musical theatre heroes of yore. Nancy Anderson scores as all the women in the show, from pin-up girls and chanteuses (deftly paying homage to 40’s era female singers in a dizzying variety of styles), in addition to a tough-as-nails senior lesbian military officer who warns Stu about his recklessness. As Stu, Bobby Steggert is the heart and soul of YANK!, rarely leaving the stage throughout director Igor Goldin’s elegantly seamless, swift-moving production. His climactic duet with Hernandez, “Just True,” brought tears to the eyes of many audience members at the performance attended, and the sniffles continued through the show’s well-deserved rousing ovation.

YANK! has been kicking around for a number of years, originating in the 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival and evolving through subsequent productions in San Diego and Brooklyn. It’s serendipitous that its Off-Broadway bow at the York Theatre coincides with national debate over the United States military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The show’s characters admit that “maybe it won’t be until 1948 or 1950, but things will change,” and Steggart’s modern-day character wonders if he would have been as brave as Stu. YANK! is a stirring tribute to the less publicized members of the Greatest Generation – if it were not for them, would we even be able to have this debate today?

Please visit www.yorktheatre.org for the complete performance schedule. Tickets are $67.50 and are available online at www.yorktheatre.org, by calling 212-935-5820, or in person at The Theatre at Saint Peter’s box office (enter on 54th Street, just East of Lexington), and are currently on sale through Sunday, March 21st. Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes.

This evening's performance of SIGNS OF LIFE has been cancelled due to inclement weather. Ticketholders may call 212-563-2565 to reschedule.

As of 3:30pm on Friday February 26, all other Off-Broadway shows will go on as scheduled this evening. We will update this site as we learn of any cancellations. You may also check our Facebook page and Twitter newsfeed.

For the most up to date information, please contact your point of purchase. For your convenience, below is a list of all the sales agencies or theatre box offices for all currently running Off-Broadway shows.

4Play (The Flying Karamazov Brothers) (212) 307-4100
A Cool Dip in the Barren Saharan Crick (212) 279-4200
A Lie of the Mind (212) 279-4200
Ages of the Moon (212) 279-4200
Avenue Q (212) 239-6200
Black Angels Over Tuskegee (212) 239-6200
Blue Man Group (800) 258-3626
Circumcise Me (212) 239-6200
Clybourne Park (212) 279-4200
Danny and Sylvia: The Danny Kaye Musical (212) 239-6200
Defending the Caveman (877) 386-6968
Equivocation (212) 581-1212
Extinction (212) 239-6200
Fuerza Bruta: Look Up (212) 239-6200
Gazillion Bubble Show (212) 239-6200
Happy Now? (212) 279-4200
Hard Times (212) 581-1212
Love, Loss and What I Wore (212) 239-6200
Measure for Measure (646) 223-3010
Mr. & Mrs. Fitch (212) 246-4422
Naked Boys Singing! (212) 239-6200
NEWSical The Musical (212) 279-4200
Our Town (212) 868-4444
Perfect Crime (212) 921-7862
Signs of Life (212) 563-2565

Stomp (212) 307-4100
The Awesome 80s Prom (877) 723-7766
The Duchess of Malfi (866) 811-4111
The Fantasticks (212) 921-7862
The Orphans' Home Cycle (212) 244-7529
The Pride (212) 279-4200
The Scottsboro Boys (212) 353-0303
The Temperamentals (212) 239-6200
Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers (212) 279-4200
When the Rain Stops Falling (212) 239-6200
Venus in Fur (212) 352-3101
When the Rain Stops Falling (212) 239-6200
Yank! (212) 935-5820

Suppose you’re a world-class theatre company on the grounds of America’s pre-eminent performing arts campus, and you need to expand. There’s no more space on the ground, but everyone strongly feels that you should be within close proximity to your other performance spaces. What do you do? If you’re anything like Lincoln Center Theatre, you take a tip from the Drifters' classic rock & roll tune and go up where the air is fresh and sweet: up on the roof.

That’s right, Lincoln Center Theatre is building a new Off-Broadway theatre space on the roof of their Broadway home, The Vivian Beaumont Theatre, which is itself over their existing Off-Broadway space, The Mitzi Newhouse Theatre. Construction on the new Claire Tow Theatre is scheduled to begin in March, and will be complete in late 2011 or early 2012.

The $41 million dollar, 23,000 square foot glass-concrete-aluminum structure will house a 131-seat theatre, as well as dressing rooms, LCT offices, and rehearsal space, all topped by a green roof and an outdoor terrace. The addition will be set back from the front of the building (see architectural renderings to the left), and will be accessible via an elevator which will borrow some space from Lincoln Center’s adjacent New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

The Clair Tow Theatre, named after the wife of long-time LCT board member Leonard Tow, will be the permanent home of Lincoln Center Theatre’s LCT3 initiative. Armed with the slogan “New Artists, New Audiences,” LCT3 strives to produce the work of America’s most exciting, innovative young playwrights and directors, while keeping ticket prices at a very accessible $20. The program kicked off at the Duke on 42nd Street in fall 2008 with the hip-hop musical Clay, followed by this season’s What Once We Felt and the upcoming Graceland and On the Levee. LCT3 shows will continue to play at the Duke until construction of The Clair Tow Theatre is complete.

March is truly coming in like a lion this year, as eleven new Off-Broadway productions prepare to roar upon the New York theatre scene. There's something for everyone here: innovative productions of beloved classic dramas, an boundary-pushing world premiere from a couple masters of the musical theatre, some exciting new shows from the most exciting writers working today, and an under-the-sea musical adventure for the youngest theatre-lovers in your life.

	THE BOOK OF GRACE Treasured for her groundbreaking poetic and inventive language, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog) has drawn a family portrait shattered by issues of rage, revenge, power and betrayal. When a young man returns home to South Texas to confront his father, everyday life erupts into a battle for personal survival. At once fiercely intimate and explosive, The Book of Grace weaves the story of three people bound together by love and longing, passion and ambition. The Public Theatre. Previews begin March 2, opens March 17, closes April 4.
	CANDIDA George Bernard Shaw’s classic play tells the story of Candida, a beautiful vivacious woman forced to make a choice between the two men in her life. Candida is comfortably married to the popular charismatic pastor, the Reverend James Morell, when Marchbanks, a young poet enters their home and a passionate romantic triangle unfolds. In this exuberant romantic comedy, (Shaw’s own favorite) questions of love, loyalty, and what constitutes a conventional marriage are explored in a brilliant fusion of words, laughter, and tears. Irish Repertory Theatre. Now in previews, opens March 7, closes April 18.
	A COOL DIP IN THE BARREN SAHARAN CRICK An African preacher-in-training arrives in drought-stricken rural America intending to further his studies in religion and water conservation. Hosted by a family that is haunted by tragedy, he takes an interest in a young orphan starved for guidance—all the while maintaining an infectious optimism in the face of his obstacles. Undaunted, the preacher determines to battle—by any means necessary—the personal and political forces that threaten the ecology of his new home. Playwrights Horizons, co-produced with The Play Company. Previews begin March 4, opens March 28, closes April 11.
	DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN A hilariously insightful play about the ways men and women relate. This prehistoric look at the battle of the sexes is full of wonderful scenarios that celebrate the differences between men and women, making it perfect for couples or a ‘girls' night out.' The show has also been recommended by thousands of marriage and family therapists and counselors for its humorous look at the inherent differences between the sexes. Downstairs Theatre at Sofia's. Now in previews, opens March 7, closes April 18.
	EQUIVOCATION Bill Cain's new play set in 1605 England begins when King James’ right hand man commissions William Shakespeare to write a new play about the Gunpowder Plot, a recent failed attempt to blow up Parliament and the Monarchy. Equivocation is a bold new look at the greatest playwright ever in a drama whose contemporary parallels are unmistakable and whose laughter is abundant – a work of startling revelations and vibrant theatricality. Tony Award winning director Garry Hynes returns to MTC following her acclaimed production of Translations.  Now in previews, opens March 2, closes March 28.
	THE GLASS MENAGERIE Tennessee Williams' gripping portrait of an American family struggling to maintain the fragile balance between a difficult past and an uncertain future. This powerful new version blurs the delicate line between playwright and narrator, infusing Tom Wingfield's (Patch Darragh) flashbacks with fresh meaning and bringing visceral truth to his tangled relationships with Laura (Keira Keeley), Amanda and Jim (Michael Mosley). Roundabout Theatre Company at The Harold & Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre/Laura Pels Theatre. Previews begin March 5, opens March 24, closes May 30.
	IMAGINOCEAN A magical, musical undersea adventure for kids of all ages. Tank, Bubbles, and Dorsel are three best friends who just happen to be fish, and they’re about to set out on a remarkable journey of discovery. And it all starts with a treasure map. As they swim off in search of clues, they’ll sing, they’ll dance, and they’ll discover the greatest treasure of all—friendship. Jam-packed with original music, John Tartaglia’s Imaginocean is a blast—from the first big splash to the last wave goodbye. New World Stages. Previews begin March 17, opens March 31.
	THE IRISH CURSE What “The Irish Curse” is – and how it manifests itself – is the raw centerpiece of this wicked, rollicking and very funny new play. From its blistering language to its brutally honest look at sex and body image, The Irish Curse is a revealing portrait of how men, and society, define masculinity. In doing so, it dares to pose the fundamental question that has been on the minds of men since the beginning of time: “Do I measure up to the next guy?” Soho Playhouse. Previews begin March 17, opens March 28.
	THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS From the legendary songwriting team of Kander & Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spiderwoman), The Scottsboro Boys is a stirring new musical that explores the infamous 1930’s ‘Scottsboro Case’, in which a group of innocent African-American teenagers are falsely accused of a terrible crime — ultimately provoking a national outrage that sparked the American Civil Rights movement.  With a book by David Thompson, Tony Award-winner Susan Stroman directs and choreographs a stellar cast led by Tony-winner John Cullum, Brandon Victor Dixon and Colman Domingo. The Vineyard Theatre. Now in previews, opens March 10, closes March 21.
	TOP SECRET: THE SEARCH FOR THE PENTAGON PAPERS It’s 1971 and the nation is at war. The intractable conflict escalates in Vietnam while here at home the battle for public opinion rages. A federal court blocks The New York Times from publishing the top-secret history of US involvement in Vietnam. Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham has a single day to decide whether to print these Pentagon Papers. When the Nixon administration closes in and charges treason, the fight for a free press explodes. a triumphant reminder of the importance of the continuing battle fought in the name of the First Amendment. New York Theatre Workshop. Now in previews, opens March 9, closes March 28.
	WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING It's raining. Gabriel York is awaiting the arrival of his grown son whom he hasn't seen since he was seven. "I know what he wants. He wants what all young men want from their fathers. He wants to know who he is. Where he comes from. Where he belongs. And for the life of me I don't know what to tell him." A compelling family saga that takes us back and forth in time from one generation to another, from 1959 to 2039, from London to Australia. With four generations of fathers and sons, their mothers, lovers and wives, the play is epic in its scope, yet at the same time extraordinarily intimate. Lincoln Center Theatre/Mitzi Newhouse Theatre. Now in previews, opens March 8, closes April 18.

The final chapter of Horton Foote’s The Orphans’ Home Cycle opened last week to another bouquet of critical hosannas at The Signature Theatre. And the best news of all: The Signature has just extended the production through May 8, 2010 to give more theater-lovers an opportunity to experience Off-Broadway’s intimate epic.

The sheer scale of the production is astonishing. The Orphans’ Home Cycle spans a period of twenty-six years and chronicles several generations of three families. To bring the characters of Harrison Texas to life, it took:

9 full-length plays, condensed by Horton Foote himself (with a posthumous assist from daughter Hallie and director Michael Wilson) to 9 hours of drama unfolding over three installments

22 actors (and 5 understudies) who play a total of 66 roles, including several actors playing the same character at different ages

25 different scenic locations, designed to shift swiftly and seamlessly by scenic wizards Jeff Cowie and David M. Barber, with an invaluable assist from projection designer Jan Hartley

143 costumes (designed by David C. Woolard) and 78 pairs of shoes, covering nearly thirty years of fashion

over 40 wigs (courtesy of hair and wig designer Mark Adam Rampmeyer)

1000 lighting cues created by Rui Rita

2 theatre companies – the show is a co-production between the Signature Theatre Company and Hartford Stage in Connecticut, where the cycle premiered early last fall

Part Three: The Story of a Family, covering the years 1918 to 1928, brings the cycle to a satisfying conclusion. Act I: 1918 finds Horace and Elizabeth Robedaux reeling as a flu epidemic decimates the local community while World War I concludes overseas. In Act II: Cousins, staunch, independent Horace struggles with his faltering haberdashery and his mother’s failing health – the same mother who had essentially abandoned him as a child, leaving him to forge his own path with no assistance. Act III: The Death of Papa deals with the idea of legacy. When Elizabeth’s father passes away suddenly Wharton mobilizes to honor a favorite son, but as her ne’er-do-well brother (Bryce Pinkham, cutting a tragic figure) finds that he can’t live up to the expectations placed upon him.

The joys of the production are plentiful, from the dizzying alacrity of events depicted in 1918, to the comic relief of a drunken man (Lucas Caleb Rooney) trying to assess his family tree in Cousins, to a touching scene in The Death of Papa in which Horace defends his son’s carnivorous literature addiction; the son is clearly a stand-in for Foote himself, and the entire cycle serves as a semi-biographical tribute to Foote’s father. The fact that his daughter Hallie Foote plays multiple roles, including her own great-grandmother, just adds to the familial love letter. And someone should give Bill Heck a medal of valor for essaying the monumentally challenging role of Horace Robedaux with such aplomb, and carrying the entire cycle on his sturdy shoulders.

Though rumors of a fall 2010 Broadway transfer for The Orphans’ Home Cycle are swirling, theater-lovers owe it to themselves to catch this astonishing event in the intimate trappings of The Signature Theatre. Not known for resting on its laurels, The Signature is trading one American epic for another as it plans its 2010-2011 season, honoring the work of Tony Kushner and featuring the first major New York revival of Kushner's two-part masterwork Angels in America, premiering this fall.

The Orphans' Home Cycle plays Tuesday through Friday at 7pm, Saturdays at 8pm, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2pm. The show plays at The Peter Norton Space located at 555 West 42nd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues). For more information or to purchase tickets, please visitwww.signaturetheatre.org or call 212-244-PLAY (7529).

Off-Broadway is enjoying a bit of a renaissance of the work of playwright Sam Shepard this winter. While actor-turned-director Ethan Hawke is currently previewing The New Group’s revival of Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind, Atlantic Theater Company is first out of the gate with the American premiere of Ages of the Moon, a taut 80-minute dark comedy starring esteemed Irish actors Seán McGinley and Stephen Rea (Academy Award nominee for The Crying Game).

Originally commissioned and produced by The Abbey Theatre in Dublin, where it played two sold-out engagements in 2009, Ages of the Moon concerns a bourbon-soaked tête-à-tête between a couple of estranged friends who admit that they’re “not exactly spring colts anymore.” Ames (Rea) is desperate for some kind of human connection, and calls his old buddy Byron (McGinley) who hops on a bus immediately, worried for his old friend’s health. Beneath a finicky ceiling fan on a front porch in the middle of Nowheresville America, two old coots haltingly hash out the past fifty years while waiting for the evening’s lunar eclipse.

Between seemingly inconsequential observances about the virtues of women riding bicycles and stories about improbably expensive drinks at the Kentucky Derby and spilling a pot of hot coffee on singer/songwriter Roger Miller’s lap, deep-seeded rivalries and jealousies bubble to the surface, explode, recede, and erupt again in a cyclical fashion.

Interestingly, despite the characters’ terrible loneliness, Ames and Byron seem terrified of connecting – the two actors rarely look at each other. McGinley’s Byron is the cooler one, igniting his friend’s fury with subtle, knowing digs, while Stephen Rea is all jangled nerves and haunted eyes as the hothead Ames. Shepard being Shepard, things must come to a violent head and in director Jimmy Fay’s sharp production, the primary victim’s downfall involves a shotgun and some exceptionally well-executed stagecraft.

Atlantic Theater Company imported the whole production from The Abbey Theatre, and one of the more remarkable aspects is how snug the whole thing fits on the stage of the Linda Gross Theatre, almost as if scenic designer Brien Vahey’s broad front porch is an extension of the Linda Gross Theater’s existing architecture with its stark brick edifice.

Shepard burst onto the theatrical scene in the 1960s and slowly gained a foothold as the angry, corrosively funny voice of his generation, winning a 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Buried Child along the way, in addition to other successes including A Lie of the Mind, Fool for Love, and True West. As he edges his way past middle-age, it’s a joy to see that this 67-year-old has lost none of his power and punch, and is secure in his place as one of America’s preeminent playwrights.

Ages of the Moon plays Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm and 7pm. Atlantic Theater Company at the Linda Gross Theater is located at 336 West 20th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). Tickets for mainstage productions are $65 and are available by calling TicketCentral.com at 212-279-4200. Ages of the Moon is participating in NYC & Co’s On The House promotion. For more information, click HERE.

After a relatively sleepy December and January, Off-Broadway roars its way out of hibernation in February, with an astounding 15 shows opening (not to mention several others beginning previews). Between world premieres of starry comedies, fascinating new looks at classic dramas, two new musicals centered around World War II, a few award-winning dramas making their American debuts, a comedy/juggling spectacular, and much more, Off-Broadway truly has something for everyone this month!

4PLAY
This exuberant and hilarious off-Broadway event is full of charming, fast-paced virtuosity and fun as the four brothers, master practitioners of cheap theatrics, juggle 'til they drop. Their method combines skills of considerable breadth and depth in a work that is kaleidoscopic and passionate. The objects, the musical instruments (traditional and invented) and their own bodies are combined in a fresh and compelling performance. Minetta Lane Theatre. Begins performances February 8, closes March 7.

BLACK ANGELS OVER TUSKEGEE
Black Angels Over Tuskegee is the story of the Tuskegee Airmen told in narrative of six men embarking upon a journey to become pilots in the United States Army Air Forces. The play explores their collective struggle with Jim Crow, their intelligence, patriotism, dreams of an inclusive fair society, and brotherhood. The play goes beyond the headlines of the popular stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and exposes the men who exhibited the courage to excel, in spite of all the overwhelming odds against them. St. Luke's Theatre. Now in previews, opens February 15, closes March 28.

CLYBOURNE PARK
In 1959, a white family moves out. In 2009, a white family moves in. In the intervening years, change overtakes a neighborhood, along with attitudes, inhabitants and property values. Loosely inspired by Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, this pitch-black comedy from Bruce Norris takes on the specter of gentrification in one of America’s most recognizable communities – leaving no stone unturned in the process. Playwrights Horizons. Now in previews, opens February 21, closes March 7.

THE DUCHESS OF MALFI
A great romance turns to horror as the Duchess of Malfi seeks true love in a world of forbidden passions. A play for our time as much as its own, John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi examines sexual repression, honor, class, and the true value of the human spirit, in this explosive drama of Italian intrigue. Red Bull Theater’s production is the first Off Broadway revival of this Jacobean masterpiece in over 50 years. Don’t miss it! Red Bull Theater at The Theatre at St. Clement's. Previews begin February 23, opens February 27, closes March 14.

EXTINCTION
Over the years, college buddies Max and Finn have spent their vacations religiously drinking, drugging and chasing women...but this time something is different. In a hotel room in Atlantic City, thwarted expectations precipitate a dangerous showdown between the two friends. This dark comedy explores the nature of our evolving friendships and the lengths we go to save them before they go extinct. Cherry Lane Theatre. Previews begin February 13, opens February 17, closes March 14.

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 painfully truthful, darkly comic take on contemporary life and how to survive it. Primary Stages at 59E59. Now in previews, opens February 9, closes March 6.

HARD TIMES
From childhood, Louisa and Tom Gradgrind were trained to shun emotion, imagination, passion – to put their trust in Cold Hard Facts. Now faced with a loveless marriage and a life devoid of dreams, Louisa has begun to wonder – has something inside her been maimed? In Stephen Jeffreys’ whirlwind adaptation of Dickens’ saga – crowded with eccentric circus performers, shrewd businessmen, cunning widows, and downtrodden workers – we find that even in the darkest industrial landscape, honesty, loyalty, joy, and love abound…and the human heart will not be silenced forever. The Pearl at New York City Center: Stage II. Previews begin February 5, opens February 14, closes March 28.

A LIE OF THE MIND
Blinded by jealousy and rage, Jake believes he may have murdered his wife. While seeking refuge in the home of his abusively unstable mother, his brother Frankie goes to investigate and finds himself caught in the confusing currents of revenge and longing. Directed by Ethan Hawke. The New Group at the Acorn Theatre. Previews begin January 29, opens February 18, closes March 20.

MAZELTOV COCKTAIL
Serving up laughs with the absurdities we tell ourselves to get through the hard times, Mazeltov Cocktail follows a Jewish woman as she juggles her job as a personal assistant, her cocaine addicted (and recently jailed) brother and the neurotic parents who spawned them. A veteran of the Comedy Central Stage and Second City, Jamie M. Fox stars in this solo dark comedy. McGinn/Cazale Theatre. Now in previews, opens February 3, closes February 20.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE
William Shakespeare's dark comedy Measure for Measure presents a society out of balance. Government leaders are helpless or hypocritical, and passions are relegated to the whorehouses and the prisons. 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.

MR. & MRS. FITCH
Meet gossip columnists Mr. and Mrs. Fitch (Tony Award-winners John Lithgow and Jennifer Ehle). 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. Second Stage Theatre. Now in previews, opens February 22, closes April 4.

THE PRIDE
Oliver, Philip, and Sylvia are caught in a kind of erotic time warp. Their complex love triangle, replete with conflicting loyalties and passions, jumps from 1958 to the present and back in a maelstrom of fantasy, repression and rebellion in this innovative new drama. After taking London by storm last season in an Olivier Award-winning production, The Pride now makes its American premiere, directed by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello, and starring four of Britain's most acclaimed young actors, Hugh Dancy, Adam James, Andrea Riseborough and Ben Whishaw. MCC Theater at The Lucille Lortel Theatre. Now in previews, opens February 16, closes March 20.

SIGNS OF LIFE
In Prague, on the eve of World War II, art student Lorelei Schumann has the world at her feet. But her whole life changes in an instant when she is sent with her friends and family to Theresienstadt, Hitler's "City for the Jews," where her survival depends upon her participation in the Nazi propaganda effort. She risks her life to tell the truth and discovers who she is as a woman, a Jew, and an artist. This new musical is the true story of love, defiance, and the power of art. AMAS Musical Theatre at Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the Westside YMCA. Previews begin February 16, opens February 25, closes March 21.

THE TEMPERAMENTALS
Critics hail The Temperamentals as intelligent, political, witty, moving, wise, and most importantly, entertaining. It tells the story of a group of courageous men who joined together to build the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organization in the United States. The play features the intimate and complex relationship between Harry Hay (Thomas Jay Ryan) and young fashion designer Rudy Gernreich (Michael Urie), set against the backdrop of 1950’s Hollywood and the McCarthy era. New World Stages. Previews begin February 18, opens February 28, closes May 19.

YANK!
A new musical set during World War II, Yank! chronicles the romantic relationship between two servicemen long before don't-ask-don't-tell was part of the national discussion. With a lively score inspired by the pop sounds of the 1940s, Yank! captures the spirit and exuberance of the era even as it explores questions of prejudice, courage and survival. It tells the story of Stu—a photographer for Yank magazine—and Mitch, an Army Private, who fall in love and struggle to survive in a time and place where the odds are stacked against them. The York Theatre Company at The Theatre at St. Peter's Church. Previews begin February 16, opens February 24, closes March 21.

NYC & Company, the City's marketing, tourism and partnership organization, today announced the return of On the House, a program to boost ticket sales at 25 Off-Broadway productions throughout Manhattan. The three-week promotion, which takes place February 8-28, offers two-for-one Off-Broadway theater tickets for New Yorkers and visitors alike. Reservations open today, January 25, and complete booking information can be accessed at nycgo.com/onthehouse.

"Off Broadway is an important cornerstone of New York City's arts and entertainment scene, and On the House gives us a forum to showcase the wealth of talent found in these unique productions throughout the City," said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company. "The program also provides an affordable platform for residents and visitors to enjoy some of the City's best theater."

Theaters participating in the promotion are scattered throughout Manhattan, including Chelsea, Midtown, the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, the East Village and the West Village. Long-running shows such as The Fantasticks and Perfect Crime join limited-engagement productions such as Mr. & Mrs. Fitch (starring John Lithgow) in this year's promotion.

"On behalf of the Off-Broadway League, I am excited to see the return of the On the House, program for the second year and also to see it extended an additional week this year," said George Forbes, president of the Off-Broadway League. "The Off-Broadway theater community looks forward to offering this tremendous value to New Yorkers and visitors alike."

Productions participating in On the House: A Lie of the Mind, Ages of the Moon, Avenue Q, Awesome 80s Prom, Candida, Circumcise Me, Clybourne Park, Equivocation, The Fantasticks, Fuerza Bruta, The Gazillion Bubble Show, Happy Now?, MazelTov Cocktail, Measure for Measure, Mr. & Mrs. Fitch, Naked Boys Singing!, Perfect Crime, The Pride, The Scottsboro Boys, Signs of Life, STOMP, The Tempermentals, Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers, Venus in Fur and Yank!

The topical revue is alive and well and living on 47th Street, where an all-new edition of NEWSical, the very funny musical lambasting current events and newsmakers, has settled in for a long run. And judging from the rollicking laughter at a recent packed Saturday matinee, the show should be delighting theatergoers for some time to come.

Stylistically, the show plays as something of a hybrid between "The Jay Leno Show," "Saturday Night Live," and the late, lamented Off-Broadway institution Forbidden Broadway, with original comic songs interspersed with sketches and impersonations. In fact, NEWSical plays at the same theatre where Forbidden Broadway completed its long run, and several of that production’s giggle-inducing ghosts have rematerialized here.

Three of the four performers in NEWSical are alums of various editions of Forbidden Broadway, and each member of the cast gets a chance to shine. Christine Pedi is a marvelously loopy Liza Minnelli in a sketch imagining celebrities who are forced to get night jobs, in addition to turns as Suze Orman, Sonia Sotomayor, and Oprah Winfrey. Christina Bianco scores in each of her roles, particularly Hilary Clinton and a wickedly over-the-top Celine Dion, while Michael West makes the most of each of his impersonations, from Obama to a soft-shoe dancing Pope Benedict. And sweet-faced Rory O’Malley is riotous in drag as Susan “Britain’s Got Talent” Boyle and in a hilarious sight gag, the “balloon boy” Falcon Heene (credit is due to costume designer David Kaley’s ingenious garb).

And when was the last time you actually laughed out loud at lyrics? Bookwriter/lyricist/composer Rick Crom has provided several witty gems, and is aided immeasurably by Ed Goldschneider as the onstage pianist. Director Mark Waldrop knows a thing or two about keeping revues firing on all cylinders, having staged When Pigs Fly and Pete ‘n’ Keely Off-Broadway, and he keeps NEWSical moving briskly through its entire 90-minute duration.

The show opened in early December, and Crom and company have made a concerted effort to constantly introduce new material, including a delicious double-entendre torch song for Mrs. Tiger Woods and a bit about the underwear bomber. In fact, the show featured brief jokes about the very recent (as of the performance seen) late night Conan O'Brian/Jay Leno kerfuffle and the televised trainwreck “Jersey Shore,” both of which will get full-scale musical lampoons within the next couple of weeks.

NEWSical THE MUSICAL plays Mondays at 8, Tuesdays at 8, Wednesdays at 2 & 8, Fridays at 8, Saturdays at 2 & 8 and Sundays at 7:30. The 47th Street Theatre is located at 304 W 47th Street, off of 8th Avenue. For tickets, visit TicketCentral.com or call 212-279-4200.