Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

A contemporary novelist has said that he " writes not to be alone". In the production of Don Nigro"s play BEAST WITH TWO BACKS, at the WalkerSpace, a loneliness worthy of Nathaniel West fuels the denizens of a boarding house in Greenwich Village. The characters - a writer, a poet, an actress, a painter - set in the backdrop of the jazz-age, abandon their arts and are caught in destructive and self annihilating pursuit of some perfect resolution. The play is intelligent and complex, holding up so many mirrors that it is to the credit of director Ann Bowen that a thread leads you through the labyrinth. Laudable performances are turned in by all of the actors in this ensemble cast, members of the Michael Chekhov Theatre Company.

     If the nature of the artistic impulse intrigues you, this production is well worth your time. VG