Nisha Tracy

Taffety Punk's Bootleg version of LOVE'S LABOURS LOST promised to be a show full of action and excitement. On both counts it did not disappoint. And the best part? The show was absolutely free. Directed by Lise Bruneau, this one-night-only showing had a line waiting on standby for more than an hour before the show began. The anticipation was palpable as soon as you stepped inside the magnificent Folger Theatre.

It's hard to approach THE BIRDS without thinking of the the 1963 Hitchcock classic, filled with action and fear. Conner McPherson's play, however, is based on du Maurier's short story and takes on a different effect. As performed by Quotidian Theatre Company under the direction of Jack Sbarbori, THE BIRDS takes place in one room where three people have taken shelter from these violent feathered creatures. Rather than eliciting outright fear, the play carries a tension that develops between these last survivors of what is presumably an apocalypse.

Nine stories in 60 minutes? Is is possible that someone could really feel satisfied by such short pieces? As it turns out, they can. LEGAL TENDER goes through a series of scenes, all beginning with the phrase, “One dollar”. This common thread creates a straightforward connection, but also highlights the very different ways people value one hundred cents.