Maria Micheles' new play Sleep Over does have a vital message to communicate, though it may not be the one she intended: Stupid people shouldn't mate. It's a worthy theme, but one that isn't played for the dramatic or comedic potential inherent in it.
Diane (Jennifer Curfman) and Ted (Chris Stack) are a cohabitating young couple who have reached an impasse in their relationship. In an attempt to shake things up, they each seek out dalliances with other people. Diane seems undone by the whole arrangement and peppers Ted with anxious questions about his fling. Lucy (Lucy Alibar), the object of said fling, shows up at the couple's door, and before you know it, she's stripped down to a leotard and doing interpretive dances to mellow guitar music. The three eventually wind up in the sack, of course, but their various neuroses and agendas keep them from doing anything very interesting once they get there.
If only Micheles had acknowledged these characters for the tedious prats they are, she (and the audience) might have had some good fun at their expense. Instead, the suffocating earnestness of the proceedings allows neither humor nor oxygen to alleviate the generally glum mood
The actors don't seem like they particularly want to be there, and who can blame them? A little sexual chemistry could have gone a long way toward salvaging the piece; as it is, the annoyingly loud buzz of the stage lights provides the only real electricity on display.
Sleep Over is a good argument for celibacy.
Presented by and at Theater for the New City,
155 First Ave., NYC.
March 8-25. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.
(212) 352-3101 or (866) 811-4111 or www.theatermania.com.