If you go to see Maudie & Jane expecting to see the bold experimentation that made a name for the Living Theatre back in the 1950s, you'll be disappointed. It's a conventional two-hander, adapted by Luciano Nattino from Doris Lessing's novel The Diary of Jane Somers, translated from the Italian and directed by Hanon Reznikov. Yes, there's nudity, but it's in a bathtub and dimly lit. However, you won't be disappointed if you go to see a brave, compelling performance from the Living Theatre's co-founder and artistic director Judith Malina. As Maudie, an angry, slovenly old woman, she's grotesque, off-putting, and irritating. As she pulls at her crotch, belches, and coughs, she's horrendously, memorably human.
Still, it's not much of a play. Jane (Pat Russell), a fashion magazine editor who apparently owns just one, oddly retro, unflattering dress, meets Maudie at a drug store and, for reasons she doesn't understand, befriends her. As Maudie approaches death, Jane faces her own loneliness. It's more meditative than dramatic and quickly feels tedious. As soon as Jane begins speaking on her cell-phone headset to her friend Joyce, the play's scheme is in place: Which woman is lonelier, the young one or the old? Joyce, who is leaving for Australia, also makes a handy device for bald exposition. Russell is statuesque and uninteresting in an uninteresting part.
For inventiveness, there's some voiceover inner monologue; a strange, compelling jig from Maudie; evocative music by Patrick Grant; and running water in a sunken tub. But Malina's difficult Maudie faces mortality down with a flourish. The courage that actor and character present deserve notice.
Presented by and at the Living Theatre, 21 Clinton St., NYC. Dec. 7-Mar. 9. Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m. (212) 352-3101 or (866) 811-4111 or www.theatermania.com or www.livingtheatre.com.