MR. MARMALADE by Noah Haidle. St. Mary Catholic School (20 Portugal Square, room 219). August 11 at 7 pm, August 13 at 3 pm. See listing Rating: NNNNN
The characters in Noah Haidle’s Mr. Marmalade reside in an astonishing world all their own: the head of four-year-old Lucy (a wonderfully ingenuous Amy Keating). Director Mitchell Cushman makes witty use of the sprawling, site-specific classroom set (complete with toy ovens and rolling cubbyhole units), Jon Grosz’s design merging seamlessly with the detritus of last year’s arts and crafts.
But nothing tops David Storch as Lucy’s imaginary friend, the menacing, drug-addled Mr. Marmalade, standing in for all the darkness she’s absorbing in the world around her. Hilarious and chilling in equal measure.