The sixty-five-minute production is an interesting evening of entertainment that shines a glimmer of light on the fascinating chanteuse but does not qualify or succeed at being a bona fide piece of theater.

Although one of the characters in the new play “Devil of Choice,” produced by Labyrinth Theater Company at the Cherry Lane Studio Theatre, is a popular professor whose highly sought-after class focuses on “Faust,” he certainly disregards the implications associated with violating morality. Playwright Maggie Diaz Bofill chooses to create several devils her characters may broker with, but the resulting short-term gain always seems to be carnal. This conception is the driving force behind the tumultuous love triangle which monopolizes the plot but offers no resolution or consequences for the proceedings in this world premiere.

There are many victims in the new family drama penned by Lily Thorne, but perhaps the audience is the most unfortunate casualty, having to suffer through this slow, protracted, insipid production for over two-and-a-half hours and wishing that “Peace for Mary Frances” would have come much sooner. The structure of the play is problematic: the series of short scenes ranging from about ten minutes to a mere two minutes, affects a coherent timeline and, most importantly, does not allow the audience to become emotionally involved with the action or the characters.

A novella by Henry James is the inspiration for the new Dance Play “The Beast in the Jungle” which marks the final mainstage production of the Vineyard Theater’s 35th Anniversary Season. The book by David Thompson follows the escapades of John Marcher (a credible Peter Friedman) over several decades, as he battles demons and searches for the single entity that seems to elude him. The structure is that of a memory play, with the main character acting as narrator as he reveals the story of his past to his young nephew, (an outstanding Tony Yazbeck), hoping that he will heed the advice and not be intimidated by the jeopardy of love. It is a profound tale of love and passion that seems to necessitate more than spoken words to communicate the emotional content and embellish the beauty of desire, intimacy and endearment.

“The Gentleman Caller” was the predecessor of Tennessee Williams first successful play “The Glass Menagerie” which opened in 1944 in Chicago and happens to be the title of a new play by Philip Dawkins which is having its New York premiere at Cherry Lane Theatre, being produced by Abingdon Theatre Company. Perhaps Mr. Dawkins should have taken the hint from the playwrights he pays homage to and realize this present manifestation should be considered a precursor to a script that reveals the underlying pain and struggle of his characters to counterpoise the gay sexual farce that is currently being presented. Humor without substance or emotion can be nothing more than a manner to foist laughter, and there is enough risible physicality, references and one liners woven into this dialogue to undermine the essence at the core of his two characters.

The latest offering of the Irish Repertory Theatre is the revival of “The Seafearer” by Conor McPherson, which opened on Broadway in 2007 and was nominated for a TONY award for best play that season. It follows the renowned style of the playwright, producing incredible natural dialogue, executed in somewhat ordinary life situations, with a collection of disreputable characters, and always providing a mysterious twist to maintain an interesting plot. In this case it is the story that revolves around the Faustian character “Sharky” who won a card game with the devil while in jail for murder, where the stakes were high: his soul or his freedom with the condition that if he won there could be a rematch at any time.