Trying to hail theater lovers amidst Park Avenue’s climbing towers, the very modern and sedate fronted 59 East 59th Street Theater proudly proclaims “59 E — America’s Off-Broadway 2010.” It is a subdued theatrical oasis amidst the tall towers of Madison and Park avenues’ business offices.
But the fresh breaths of Brooklyn air emigrated from the very modern stage where the production of “The Housewives of Mannheim” took us back to Brooklyn right away — and right on.
On stage America was at war. The ladies were lamenting their men over there. Fears were reported over the air, but the housewives were talkng about the shortages in some of the stores, saying “You gotta try to get over to some of the markets on Kings Highway.”
Others talking about Brooklyn brought hamesha audience applause. Out of such Brooklynish talk came a visiting refugee from the wars that were raging on the European side of the Atlantic — a land that she fled, not knowing that these same peace loving housewives would soon do battle with each other as ensuing self-centering sexual advances became unveiled.
“Why Brooklyn?” we wondered, as the plot soufled with untoward sexual advances by one of the girls onto another pining housewife with her man overseas.
Then some of the women were at war with each other, with one launching a sexual invasion, the other defending her private self. The invader came on very strong, raging her love for the defending housewife and because her peddling business was falling off when word of her sexual lusts circulated the manless boudoirs of Brooklyn.
Each of the characters on stage depicted wonderful replicas of “life for the struggling girls back home” while their boys did battle over there.
Always there was nostalgic home team applause when the familiar Loehmann’s or Flatbush names popped into their “Housewives’” script.
The “Housewives of Mannheim” was not very far off — Broadway and its very modern interior theaters were right on target with quality performances at moderate prices, inspiring New York’s theatricl prowess in another center-cut of prime pricey New York City’s Broadway — but not too far.
Four young actresses, Phoenix Vaughn, Wendy Peace, Corey Tizmania and Natalie Mosco, all portrayed that war skillfully and Alan Brody and Suzanne Barabas can brag that their New York premiere merits crops of support in a city where stars and their hits are born. Try to see it soon.
