Stage Capsule Reviews

Affluenza! High praise goes to director Mark Ciglar and the bountifully gifted cast of James Sherman’s smart, tart comedy about the poisonous effects of having too much money. Sherman’s choice to write the show in rhyming couplets, à la Moliere, is distracting only until the ear gets used to it — then it becomes damned clever. Of the uniformly winning cast, Sean Grennan’s performance is particularly great, rich with wit and brattiness and, when it’s least expected, earned pathos. Jennifer James Bradshaw is terrific, too, recalling the late, great Judy Holiday in the classic Born Yesterday. Through Feb. 20 at American Heartland Theatre, 2450 Grand, 816-842-9999.

Frederick Douglass: Deliverance From Chains Gene Mackey’s memory play is about the title character’s journey from slave to statesman. The drama is set in a re-creation of Douglass’ final home in Washington, D.C., where the civil rights pioneer (Danny Cox) reminisces with Helen Pitts (Sheryl Bryant), his second wife, and a group of young history buffs. Among the themes he addresses are abolition, black employment obstacles and the controversy surrounding his marriage to Pitts, who happened to be white. Through Feb. 20 at Theatre for Young America, 5909 Johnson Drive in Mission, 913-831-2131.

Holes Spanning 1875 Latvia, the outlaw Texas of the 1890s, and a present-day camp for delinquent teenage boys, Louis Sachar’s adaptation of his novel plays like a DJ’s mash-up that alternately nails and loses its beat. The last setting works best; it has the energy of hip-hop and some fine acting, especially by Vanessa Severo, who seems to channel Cruella De Vil by way of Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman.” The three time periods don’t mesh well, though, giving the scenes in old Texas the faux finish of a Branson saloon show. Good comic bits litter the show, however, just like the sunflower seeds that build up all over the stage because of serial spitter Charles Fugate. Stacie Beth Green’s brief turn as a crazed pioneer moll suggests Amy Sedaris appearing on Gunsmoke. Through Feb. 20 at the Coterie, 2450 Grand, 816-474-6552.

Kansas City Kong The old joke about where the 900-pound gorilla sleeps is being appropriated by the Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Co., which claims it has had to renovate its performance space to accommodate the big lug. Though snapshots of the show reveal the kind of ape suit Ed Wood might have used in one of his tawdry B-pictures, there is the promise of a climactic shimmy up the shaft of Kansas City’s own Liberty Memorial. In addition, the company performs its new musical vaudeville, called TV Tomfoolery. Through March 27 at Metcalf South Shopping Center, 9635 Metcalf in Overland Park, 913-642-7576.

The Show Formerly Known as Purple Rain It’s been some time since Late Night Theatre staged anything with an all-female cast. So if a parody of Prince’s quasi-biopic Purple Rain isn’t the obvious choice, when does Late Night ever go in that direction? David Wayne Reed (Mother Trucker) adapted the screenplay for a cast that includes such versatile Late Night vets as Jessalyn Kincaid (as Prince) and Corrie Van Ausdal (as Apollonia). A handful of new faces, including Lauretta Pope (the real find in last year’s Seussical), get to play everybody else under Kara Armstrong’s direction. Feb. 18 through March 26 at Late Night Theatre, 1531 Grand, 816-235-6222.

Two Trains Running The fourth of August Wilson’s nine plays documenting the black experience in 20th-century America lands on the Kansas City Rep’s stage with a great deal of grace — despite its preposterous length. Very few plays merit a 195-minute running time, and this isn’t one of them; Wilson’s writing is often elegant, but he needs an editor. Still, this comedic drama (set in Pittsburgh in 1969) about a restaurant doomed to ill-advised urban renewal features unanimously compelling actors, crisp directing and a funky, faithful set design by Vicki M. Smith. Through Feb. 20 at the Gem Theatre, 1601 E. 18th St., 816-235-2700.

Weather Warnings Characters inspiring climate-related metaphors — some chilly as ice, others warm as an Indian summer — make up this pair of thematically complementary yet unpublished one-acts. Garry Williams’ Rain centers on a gruff farmer whose fall from a roof and subsequent paralysis exacerbate already prickly relations with his wife and family. Rich Orloff’s Off the Map is only ten minutes long, but it’s reportedly the more humorous offering — it examines a new, occasionally stormy marriage. Sheilah Philip-Bradfield directs both. Feb. 23-27 at the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd. in Overland Park, 913-469-4445.