Ara Boghigian

It may be something rare when a theater company is able to utilize its two performances spaces at the same time to feature two plays which are extremely similar yet completely different in important ways. Two plays that deal with similar issues and in a sense tell the same story, or kind of story, but execute that story with vastly differing results. Such is the case at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, where the current production in the UpStage space, Seminar, bares a striking resemblance to the just-closed production that playe din the DownStage space, Collected Stories. While Collected Stories was a finely crafted study of two nuanced and textured characters, Seminar is the exact opposite. This play, written by Theresa Rebeck, doesnt even begin to scratch beneath any surfaces as it deals with four writers who are participating in a writing seminar with a well-known, past-his-prime writer of fiction. As the seminar progresses over the course of a number of weeks, we begin to see conflicts arise as the egos, insecrities, passions, dreams and failures of the writers, young and old, tumble together and clash.

There's no denying it, it's been an awful winter. There are likely a number of scientific studies to back up that fact. It's been cold and grey and dismal for quite a while and the snow and ice are just now, at the end of March, starting to vanish completely. What better way is there to shrug off this dreary gray season than a bright, exuberant and riotously funny comic farce, live on stage? Have no fear, 2nd Story Theatre has exactly what you need with their current production of Le Dindon, by the master of French farce, Georges Feydeau.

SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE, now playing UpStage at Warren's 2nd Story Theatre, provides pure theatrical entertainment of the highest order. In line after line of this thoroughly-enjoyable production, 2nd Story delivers an ever-deepening mystery, an eclectic set of engaging characters, spot-on verbal and physical comedy, and sparkling wit.

There are those plays that, one way or another, rest primarily on the shoulders of a single actor. It's true that no play, unless it's a one-man or woman show, is completely about just one person, one character. On the other hand, there are plays where everything is so tightly connected to a single character that they are the show's life, breath and blood. A play like Hamlet, for example, Streetcar Named Desire or A Doll's House. You simply must have the right actor playing Hamlet, Nora and Stanley to make those plays become what they might be. Unfortunately, 2nd Story Theatre's current production of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan just doesn't have what it needs at its center, in the all-important title role.

As a theater company grows in success and reputation, expansion is to be expected. Whether it's growth into new and different types of productions, educational programs or physical spaces, change is only natural. For 2nd Story Theater in Warren, growth and expansion have arrived this season, in the form of a new, smaller, more intimate space downstairs in their Market Street home. For the first show in the new downstairs space, they have chosen Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero, which turns out to be a pleasing and safe way to begin the life of a new theatrical stage.

Typically, summer theater is a place for big, bright, fluffy musicals. Most summer stock theater companies fill their seasons with bright, cheerful musical theater extravaganzas, which is not a bad thing, not at all. Musicals can be a perfect lighter, summertime entertainment. On the other hand, it's also nice that some theaters provide an alternative to the typical summer theatrical fare. One such theater is 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, which is offering a unique pairing of shows. 2nd Story's 'Murder in Rep,' features not one but two murder mystery plays. But like any good murder mystery, there's a twist. The first show is Mousetrap, an Agatha Christie mystery which is also the longest running play in history. The second show, The Murder Room, is actually a spoof of thrillers just like the one it's sharing the stage with.

Among other things, playwright Tennessee Williams is known for plays which fit into the category of "southern gothic." His works are often set in the south and tell steamy, sordid tales of love, sex, power and death. One such play, The Rose Tattoo, is set in a small town on the gulf coast, where everybody knows everybody else's business and where secrets and passions run as deep as the humidity is high. Less often produced than Williams' other plays, Rose Tattoo is currently on the stage at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren.

Peter Shaffer creates an intriguing piece of historical fiction by recognizing that the most forceful and compelling of human foibles often emerge clearly in situations of artistic rivalry.

Spot-on delivery and even pacing are essential to a successful production of Neil Simon's complex material, and 2nd Story Theatre's cast, under the direction of Mark Peckham, is entirely up to the task.

2nd Story Theatre presents Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers, a nostalgic nod to family, love and hope, tonight, now playing through December 16, 2012. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the show below.

Richard Greenberg's Tony award-winning play is at the Warren, RI theater through February 12th.

Gina Gionfriddo's biting social commentary, based here in Rhode Island, plays at 2nd Story through February 20th

Gina Gionfriddo's biting social commentary, based here in Rhode Island, plays at 2nd Story through February 20th

Director Ed Shea finishes a season of American Classics at the Warren, RI theater with perhaps the most iconic play of the 20th Century

Moieses Kaufman's Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde will be presented at the Bristol Statehouse through October 28th.

The Bristol Statehouse is the stage for this stellar production of Gross Indecency. 107 years after his death, Oscar Wilde still fascinates.