See Picnic at the Gym at Judson off Washington Square. Only one week remains!!

Seeing Heather Mac Rae in a play is a grand experience. You have until April 16 to catch this magnificent William Inge play Picnic and Come Back Little Sheba in which she stars. In Picnic Mac Rae (Falsettos) plays Mrs. Potts at the Gym at Judson produced by the Transport Theatre just off Manhattan's Washington Square . When Mac Rae holds those boots and rubs them as she thinks about her love of having a man in her life, tears flowed. The production is stellar. Jack Cummings III's direction of Inge's Pulitzer Prize winning play has lifted the cobwebs lingering from 1953 and replaced them with gold dust. He has cast newcomer to Off Broadway David T Patterson a recent graduate of Carnegie Melon University as Hal whose muscles ripple when he speaks. A glittering career awaits Patterson. Madge played by Gina Le Vine also is making her Off Broadway debut but also has performed at the Kennedy Center and on episodic television. Her performance not only offers her fresh beauty but also the innocence of a woman in a small town who is conflicted with the choice of leaving her roots to run off with a wild vagabond or to marry the town’s most successful bachelor. But it is Hal’s earthiness and sex appeal that convince Madge to run away from home and follow her heart. We all know William Inge’s award winning play, but it is always good to see it again. The movie, Picnic, and winner of two Oscars starred Kim Novak and William Holden and is one of history’s most loved films. The Transport Theatre uses a sparce set that only has a few chairs which is terrific as your imagination takes over and fills in the set. And thus you become a part of the play and its enchanting characters. Emily Skinner's performance as Rosemary is outstanding and has the right energy and hits her moments with such sincerity that your heart breaks a bit when her boyfriend hesitates to marry her. Hannah Elless as Millie, Stephen Mir as Bomber, Michele Pawk as a touching Flo, Rowan Vickers as Alan, Jennifer Piech as Irma, Krystal Rowley as Christine and John Cariani as Howard round out this excellent ensemble. But for me it was Mrs. Potts who is the mortar for the cast of small town characters whose dialogue ripples with clichés from an era long ago and too far away. Nostalgia. Those clichés add nostalgia and memories of a time when we were all more innocent and filled with longing. Run to The Gym at Judson at 243 Thompson St, NYC to see this outstanding play put on by the Transport Theatre Company and make your visit a double feature with Come Back Little Sheba in its last week! You have time and will not regret your choice.