Breaking into the New York arts scene isn't easy. Should you wish to venture beyond showtunes and major museums to the interesting stuff, questions inevitably arise: Where do you go? Is it gonna be good-weird or just weird? How much black do you wear? Will you stumble into an art gallery (as I did last weekend) that pummels you with imagery of wounded body parts in the name of high culture? Will you be stereotyped as an unhip heartland flunky with an unironic appreciation for the America video (ht: rpd, video worth the download time)?
Such uncertainties usually means one requires some kind of "this is worth going to" recommendation to justify the expense... and this I can happily provide:
Dog in a Manger ($15 tickets) at Quinnopolis (164 11th Ave. between 22nd and 23rd Streets) has been extended to this and next weekend (Fri/Sat. 8pm), starring none other than a former millinerd herself, ma souer Abbie Killeen. It's a faithful reworking of a Lope de Vega play, spiced up with a reincarnation of the ancient Greek chorus precedent in the form of a singer-songwriter playing 80's hits at just the right times. All characters are superbly acted, two of which are Ken dolls. Weird transfigured into good-weird before my laughing eyes.
Furthermore, if you go this weekend you'll be able to see the once-in-a-lifetime Fra Angelico exhibit just before it closes, and if you go next weekend NJ students ride the train for free.
Any excuses left?