You've got to hand it to Allison (Tanya Fischer) and Angela (Lisa Joyce), the two 20-something club gals at the center of Gina Gionfriddo's incisive and intriguing U.S. Drag. They're willing to do just about anything to make a buck, including tracking down someone who's attacking folks all over Manhattan. They're after the $100,000 reward being offered for the perp, whose M.O. is to pose as someone needing help on the street.
The intrepid duo's quest for cash leads them to a neighborhood watch group that's been started by the perpetually touchy-feely self-help and therapy addict Evan (Lucas Papaelias). Among the supporters of Evan's crusade to raise awareness about the attacker are serial-murder junkie James (James Martinez), who first tells the young women about the crimes, and one of the attacker's victims, the once bookish and now daring Mary (Audrey Lynn Weston). After Angela meets the needy and clingy Christopher (Logan Marshall-Green), a hotshot author who's made his name with a piece of "creative fiction" about the abuse he suffered as a child, he too becomes part of Evan's group.
It's a grandly eclectic array of urban archetypes that Gionfriddo has assembled for this exploration of society's obsession with fame, which generally stems from people's neurotic need for validation. Perhaps the most amusing character in U.S. Drag is Ned (Matthew Stadelmann), a wealthy Wall Street type who's taken Allison and Angela on as roommates, not because he needs to share expenses but because they've scammed him into believing they'll host fab parties at his place.
Under Trip Cullman's assured direction, the ensemble turns in beautifully observed performances. A simultaneously specific and abstract set design from Sandra Goldmark allows Gionfriddo's dryly ironic play to unfurl rapidly, and Bart Fasbender provides the rock soundscape that perfectly underscores the characters' drive for fame and fortune.
Presented by the stageFarm
at the Beckett Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St., NYC.
March 1-16. Tue.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 and 7 p.m.
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com.
Casting by Calleri Casting.
