Summer Shorts 5: Series B

While Series A of "Summer Shorts 5" wowed me with adventurous writing, gritty drama, and fresh comedy, Series B is a disappointing follow-up. Four established playwrights toss their particular brands of wit into the ring, but no work stands out in this lukewarm group. The performers, with a few exceptions, valiantly try to enliven the thin material, but great performances can't make the plays great.

Tina Howe wins for best of the evening, which isn't saying much, with her absurd "Some Women in Their Thirties Simply Start to Fall." Thirty-something Charlotte quite literally loses her head on a New York street as onlookers poke fun. A passerby physician (Ryan Shams) diagnoses her problem as common. Howe's reflection on romance for women in their 30s is nothing new, but her writing is amusing. Crystal Finn engages with the audience as Charlotte's head, despite her limited mobility.

Billy Hopkins' acute direction of a talented cast in "Clap Your Hands," by Keith Reddin, keeps the piece moving. This 1940s throwback explores cheating husbands and suspicious wives on New Year's Eve at the Waldorf Astoria. Anastasia Kazmina's choreography is too big for the small stage, but the actors, Victor Slezak and Meg Gibson in particular, have wonderful comic timing that brings some life to the flat script.

Will Scheffer's Holocaust drama "The Green Book" lags, but the best performance of the night belongs to Jodie Markell, whose honest portrayal of Fanny, a directionless middle-aged daughter forced to care for a mother with dementia, is deeply moving. The entire cast gives standout performances, but Scheffer's writing is blurry, and while there are patches of good dialogue, the play meanders about before ending awkwardly, with little resolution.

"Lessons for an Unaccustomed Bride," José Rivera's battle of superstition and religion, has little sparkle. Socorro Santiago plays the barrio witch Yessenia, but her anger feels forced, while Shirley A. Rumierk appears as if she's focusing more on her upright posture than her performance. The play has some exciting moments, but the argument between voodoo and Christianity comes off as trite. Rumierk is gorgeous to behold, but beauty can't make this piece shine.

Overall, the direction and acting soar above the scripts. Although I enjoy these playwrights, these works explore overused dramatic themes and stubbornly refuse to sparkle.

Presented by Throughline Artists as part of the Festival of New American Plays at 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St., NYC. Aug. 10–Sept. 4. Schedule varies. (212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com. Casting by Billy Hopkins.