Issue of 2004-01-27

SUITCASE; OR, THOSE THAT RESEMBLE FLIES FROM A DISTANCE
Louisa Thompson’s cunningly constructed set holds two study lofts that rise above the stage, each containing a procrastinating, self-pitying female grad student. As the two women chat with each other on the phone, their boyfriends sulk on the stage below, trying in vain to gain access to their apartments and to their hearts. Why they would want in is unclear. Melissa James Gibson’s script is often witty, and Colleen Werthmann and Christina Kirk, as the grad students, are sharp comic presences, but the scenario is more frustrating than funny. Directed by Daniel Aukin. (SoHo Rep, 46 Walker St. 212-868-4444. Through Feb. 28.)