Danger and Opportunity
Rising director Jack Serio (Grangeville) has a serious knack for shows in cramped spaces, such as his buzzy staging of Uncle Vanya in a Flatiron loft last season; so does playwright Ken Urban, whose recent drama A Guide for the Homesick was set in a Dutch hotel room. So it makes sense for the two to team up at the ultra-cozy new venue East Village Basement, which accommodates only about 25 spectators on wooden chairs against the walls. The play's subject matter is suitably intimate: Juan Castano and Ryan Spahn play a restless married gay couple whose relationship takes a turn when they reunite with one of the guys' high school ex-girlfriends, played by Julia Chan. With so few seats up for grabs, tickets are sure to go fast.