Entirely by coincidence, this week the East Village offered reviewers a look at two opposing ways to simplify theater by leaving out certain elements. Both ways have their virtues: If I rate one as superior to the other, it's strictly on a case-by-case basis. This time around, an old play done in a fresh new way feels contemporary, while a new play done in a relatively traditional manner comes off as all too old and familiar. But that may be inevitable when the theater starts to explore the art of omission: The audience has to fill in the resulting gaps with its own ideas, which may not be to the... More >>>