The Third Story, now enjoying its New York premiere at the Lucille Lortel under the aegis of MCC Theater, the ever-captivating Charles Busch proves equally deft as both performer and seamstress. Even if not every element of this complex play quite holds together, this is one inventive crazy-quilt.
The central tale concerns down-on-her-luck screenwriter Peg, who has tracked down her son and erstwhile collaborator Drew in Omaha, hoping that with his help she'll be able to recapture her vanished pizzazz. It's evident right off the bat why he has opted for a satisfying career as a Midwestern mail-carrier over life in the Hollywood fast lane. She's one of those smother-mothers afflicted with not-so-covert rivalry issues. "Why couldn't you have been born a fabulous Aries like me?" she brays.
In Peg's ever-more-complex scenario, Queenie -- who is suffering silently and nobly from a terminal disease -- cooks up a plot to clone herself so that she can stick around to defend her son and successor, Steven. The plan requires the help of uptight lady scientist, Dr. Constance Hudson, her misshapen offspring-of-a-sort, Zygote, and Hudson's longtime colleague, Dr. Rutenspitz. Finally, as the play's title suggests, there's a third story: an amalgam of Russian folk tales featuring Baba Yaga -- a terrific hideous-crone role for Busch -- who plans to split her shy helpmeet Vasalisa in two so that the girl's more confident twin will be equipped to woo a prince. Get The Third Story tickets, and laugh yourself out of the theatre.
