Unconventional storytelling methods are on display in two Off-Broadway productions, offering brave theatergoers unusual and exciting experiences. John Krasinski of TV’s The Office stars in Angry Alan, an almost-solo show, delivering a tour de force performance in a through-provoking tale of Internet-inspired angst. (This is the first production of the new Studio Seaview, a showcase for innovative Off-Broadway productions, and a good start.) Punchdrunk, the innovative company who brought us the hypnotic Sleep No More, does Angry Alan one better and gives us Viola’s Room, a performer-less dreamscape.

Credit: Jonny Cournoyer
Angry Alan is the more conventional of the two with a linear plot narrative and a protagonist facing a crisis. Penelope Skinner’s compassionate script relates the sad tale of Roger, a 40-ish divorced dad dealing with depression after he’s lost his high-powered job with AT&T and is now employed as a dairy department supervisor in a supermarket. He is pulled out of his funk while scrolling through the web by the titular, unseen character, a social media messiah preaching the gospel of men’s rights and the evils of feminism. Through Skinner’s subtle writing and Krasinski’s empathic acting, we are slowly drawn into the dark world of Roger’s subconscious and Alan’s cult-like ecosystem. (Note: Don Mackay who originated the role at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is given a co-creator credit.) At first, Roger’s grievances and Alan’s theses seem perfectly reasonable. Men have been victimized by rigid gender stereotypes into believing they must always suppress their emotions and act as saviors to weak, defenseless dependents (women and children). But the women’s liberation or “gynocentric” movement as Alan calls it, has unfairly allowed females to blossom while ignoring the psychological well-being of their male counterparts.
Roger sees himself reflected in Alan’s discourse and there is a grain of truth in his self-pity. Feeling like a loser at the loss of his job, the blow was compounded when his wife left him and took custody of their son, allowing him only visits on holidays and weekends. But as we learn more of Roger’s story and he goes deeper into Alan’s sexist philosophy, the depth of Alan’s misogyny and Roger’s inner damage and rage are exposed. Skinner blends humor with pathos in tracking Roger’s downward spiral, poking fun at the excesses of feminist intellectualism. There are laughs as Roger points out the inconsistencies of his current “woke” girlfriend appreciating the works of abuser Pablo Picasso and the accused Woody Allen and streaming the masochistic fantasy 50 Shades of Grey.

Credit: Jonny Cournoyer
The tone becomes darker as Roger is drawn further into Alan’s rabbit hole, even going so far as to spend his child-support money on an expensive men’s rights weekend conference. He finally makes a break with reality during a confrontation with his estranged son where Roger’s newly-learned perceptions of gender politics are turned inside out. (No spoilers, but there is a startling and theatrical surprise to climax the evening.)
Sam Gold’s incisive direction is quick-paced and adds variety to what could have been a monotonous show. Scene changes are rapid and Isabella Byrd’s lighting and Lucy Mackinnon’s videos effectively shift the fluid moods. The forced-perspective sets by the design team dots reflect Roger’s skewed view of the world. Krasinski does a subtle and shocking job of slowly revealing Roger’s crushed psyche and the crusty shell of anger he builds to protect it. He comes across as a perfectly nice guy at first, immediately capturing the audience’s sympathy, but then cracks in his facade of affability emerge and the actor gives us the entire sad individual.

Credit: Marc J. Franklin
Punchdrunk delivers a totally different and equally vibrant theatrical event with Viola’s Room at The Shed. Like Punchdrunk’s previous immersive work Sleep No More, this happening has theatergoers journeying through a series of intriguing, mysterious environments. Instructed to discard their shoes and admitted six at a time, the patrons are given headphones and ushered into an adolescent’s bedroom (Casey Jay Andrews designed the elaborate and detailed settings.) The silky, seductive voice of Helena Bonham Carter tells us Daisy Johnson’s beautifully written fairy tale of a spirited princess on the brink of a forced marriage and undergoing a bizarre metamorphosis. As the tale unfolds, we are guided from through intimate spaces by a trail of illumination (exquisite lighting by Simon Wilkinson).

Credit: Marc J. Franklin
We journey down dark corridors, claustrophobic hallways, forbidding forests, moonlit ballrooms, and sumptuous banquets. The story is like a waking dream and the setting provides hints that Viola is actually an imaginative young girl embarking on a trip. There are packed suitcases and notebooks with diary entries and fantastic drawings. Perhaps she is going away to boarding school, perhaps on a summer holiday. Maybe she must say goodbye to girlhood and get ready for being an adult and the dream reflects her trepidation. The subtext of the story is not as important as the gossamer-delicate atmosphere director Felix Barrett and co-director Hector Harkness have created. This is an intoxicating dreamscape from which you will reluctant to wake.
Angry Alan: June 11-Aug. 3. Studio Seaview, 305 W. 43rd St., NYC. Running time: 80 mins. with no intermission. studioseaview.com.
Viola’s Room: June 26—Oct. 19. Punchdrunk at The Shed, 545 W. 30th St., NYC. Running time: 60 mins, with no intermission. theshed.org.

Credit: Marc J. Franklin