The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side: Utopia vs. Manhattan

“I really care about these characters” writes playwright/director in his note to audiences of The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side. “And I hope you really care about them too. Thank you.” It’s certainly one of the most direct production notes I’ve read in a while, but more importantly, its sentiment shows.

“Quirky” doesn’t do them justice, and “eccentric” feels too simplistic, these well cared for cast of characters (in every sense) is an extended sexual family. Of free-loving anarchists. Who live above and operate a Manhattan vegan restaurant. Two guys, two girls, ranging in age from 19 to 32: Dawn (Mandy Nicole Moore), the youngest, loveable, liberated, a musician; Billy (James Kautz), drug-addicted, passionate, politically active, a writer; Wyatt (Matthew Pelluci), paranoid, outspoken, an animal; Dear (Sarah Lemp), the oldest, gentle, accepting, a former lawyer. Dear and Wyatt manage the restaurant in the storefront in exchange for food and housing. The landlord, Donovan (Charles Meola), has recently inherited a fortune and funds Billy’s publication. Dawn is responsible for the sole cash income, which she makes singing songs on the street.

The play is (rightfully) broken up into three acts – a very definitive scene-setter, a rich, if dense, explication, and a dramatic, if not sufficiently moving, ending. It might take a while to get on board – the play begins with an awful lot of yelling – but once it settles down and reigns its boundless energy to a more inviting level, it is mostly the sum of its strangely loveable idealists. Their plump, full development is to the combined credit of both writer and performers, each so naturally inhabiting his or her part with complete sincerity. The dynamic performances are only helped by the intimacy of PS 122’s tiny space, which all but puts the audience right into the apartment’s living room. The Pied Pipers live in a utopian semi-bless of sex, drugs and a general emulation of 60’s flowerchild life until interrupted by a visit from Billy’s crass, boorish, homophobic younger brother, Evan (Nick Lawson).

Billy hasn’t seen his brother in years – Evan is in college now, but Billy does not get along well with their parents, and the family has long been estranged. However, Evan’s visit is, dramatically speaking, clunky. Though it affords some of the play’s most lighthearted moments of comedy as Billy’s “roommates” exaggerate their off beat lifestyle to scare Evan, it also, of course, means that they must teach Evan not only about their beliefs, but also a lesson in tolerance. His gradual turnover is one of the sweeter parts of the play, as he proves not to be a misogynistic jerk after all.

The second act, sandwiched between segments of event-driven action is interesting, but gets heady at times. Under the premise that Evan, a journalism major, has been convinced by Billy’s comrades to write a piece about their lifestyle, they answer questions, and impart upon him their philosophies on life, love, politics and emotional expression. The density might be somewhat unavoidable given the complex subject matter, but at the very least, the information session could use to be somewhat shorter.

The play’s chief asset is, for all its wackiness, its realism. And structurally, it is run-of-the-mill, but its subject matter makes it fresh anyway. No stronger is the realism when the Pied Pipers are forced to confront re-entry into the real world after Donovan makes a decision that will burst the bubble they’ve been living (or perhaps hiding) in. I left wondering what, exactly, Ahonen was trying to say: is he idealizing these people and their lifestyle? Is he trying to show that it can’t work? Or is he making a point about what society does to idealism, and what happens when idealism has to square with the real world around it? The realism of the play he and his talented cast have created makes it such that the answer is, actually, I’d think, all three. 

Due to continued sold out performances and strong critical acclaim, P.S. 122 and The Amoralists will once again extend The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side. The show began a summer extension on July 30 that was to run through August 17 at P.S. 122 (150 1st Avenue) in NYC. The newest extension will add one more week to the schedule. The show will now close on August 23 with added performances taking place on Wed 8/19 at 7:30pm, Thu 8/20 at 7:30pm, Fri 8/21 at 7:30pm, Sat 8/22 at 7:30pm and Sun 8/23 at 5:30pm. The play is written and directed by Derek Ahonen.

Shows take place on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 5:30pm with an added performance on Wed 8/19 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25, $15 for students/seniors and $10 for P.S. 122 members, and can be purchased online at http://www.ps122.org or by calling 212-352-3101. Warning: Explicit sexual content and utopian ideals - no one under 17 will be admitted. Running time is 2 hours and 45 minutes including two intermissions. For more information visit www.TheAmoralists.com.

Photo credit: Larry Cobra