Review: Less Than Rent Theatre's LITTLE MAC, LITTLE MAC, YOU'RE THE VERY MAN!

Less Than Rent Theatre's World Premiere of LITTLE MAC, LITTLE MAC, YOU'RE THE VERY MAN!, written by Sean Patrick Monahan and James Presson is now playing at at The Kraine Theater in the Bowery. Charlie Polinger directs an attempted statement on several political and pop culture icons with the story of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera thrown in there. It is reminiscent of a Starkid production, but just doesn't quite get there. Maybe it was the cheap party store wigs that all looked uncared for and pulled from the bottom of a trunk at a children's community theatre. Maybe it was that too much was trying to be done at once. Whatever it was, it made the big picture hard to swallow.

This productions sees Little Mac as an old west outlaw and includes the characters of Lockitt, Peachum, Polly, and Lucy. The show starts off relatively able bodied, but with a cast of characters ranging from Taylor Swift (who acts as narrator, for some reason) to Rupert Murdock to Jessica Rabbit- not to mention decades (one scene includes Bill Gates and Benjamin Franklin, and others)- one is already confused. Anyway, Little Mac seeks out the help of his dying grandfather once on the run, ending up with a prosperous farm, which he turns into a major business. Here's where said cast of characters comes into play and where it's all down hill from here. Warning: if one isn't invested, they'll burn when they hear there's an intermission. Act two comes along as some new fangled musical- the first act had a few songs, but the second act's got 'em every chance they get. The music is fine- better than the script, anyway.

The company includes Tom Sanchez, Sarah Daniels, Ashley Denise Robinson, Rachel B. Joyce, Ben Diserens, Jillian Rorrer, Cory Asinofsky, Alex Kramer, Anthony Vaughn Merchant, Matthew George, Eugenio Vargas, Joe Flynn, and Lance Lemon. It must be said of the actors: they were the saving grace. They didn't have much to work with, as the content was just, at times, off the wall, but they made it at least bearable: they stuck with the gimmicks and made due with what they had in the best way.

All and all, every patron will take this in differently. It's more like a comedy night, than anything else. Bottom line: if you're not into political satires, this is not the show for you.

The production will run April 3-27 at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery), 4/3, 4/4, 4/10, 4/11, 4/14, 4/17, 4/18, 4/19, 4/24, 4/25 & 4/26 at 7pm and 4/6, 4/13, & 4/17 at 2pm. Tickets ($18, $15 students & seniors) are available online at www.horseTRADE.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.