Woolly does scrims and footlights! And bunraku-style puppets! A mechanical flying beast is one of the first elements we see in this nightmarish fantasy, the story of suburban Andrew Palmer's (Matthew Stadelman) overnight escapades in downtown New York on the eve of his thirteenth birthday. The more troublesome emotional journey, however, is for his (perhaps pathologically protective) mother Bethany, who ultimately comes to acceptance that our children grow up, but they are never completely safe. Jeanine Serralles makes some gutsy choices for her D.C. area stage debut as Bethany, appearing in baggy eyes and insomniac hair (she hasn't slept since her boy was born). And versatile Dawn Ursula returns to Woolly in ensemble roles, including a wicked turn as a lonely museum docent who's a little too eager to help Andrew's father Warren (Will Gartshore) find his son. With its multiple midnight exits from cosy suburban comfort, the play owes a debt to Craig Lucas's similarly picaresque Reckless.

posted: 9:10:59 AM