Greenwich Village events: Concerts, parties, readings and more

Henry James's poignant 1880 novella about a wealthy young lady, her coldhearted father and a fortune-hunting suitor was the basis of the 1947 hit The Heiress. Now Randy Sharp directs her own new adaptation of the story, which aims to strip away the period trappings to focus on its heroine's inner life. The production is returning for an encore after a well-received run last year.

Lauren Gundrum and Brandon Lambert's original four-person musical mines the ins and outs of ordinary family life for comedy. The show has been workshopped at various cabaret spaces for years; Guy Stroman, an original cast member of the long-running Forever Plaid, directs the Off Broadway premiere. 

Brooklyn comedian Sam Morrison, who hosts the monthly Queerotica series at the Strand, delves into tragic territory—the Covid-related death of his boyfriend in 2021—in a bittersweet hour-long solo show that earned laughs, tears and rave reviews at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year. 

New York's gutsiest classical company, Red Bull Theater, presents a rare production of the 1592 domestic tragedy Arden of Faversham: a true-crime story based on a Valentine's Day murder plot by a married woman, her lover and a collection of inept conspirators. Although the show's authoriship has never been established, some scholars have attributed parts of it to Shakespeare; this adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher and Kathryn Walat emphasizes the play's potential as a comedic noir thriller. Red Bull honcho Jesse Berger directs an ensemble that includes Cara Ricketts and Tony Roach as the adulterous plotters and downtown treasure Thomas Jay Ryan as their victim.

Theater review by Rossilynne Skena Culgan  Gabe Mollica begins his one-man show with a declaration: “I turned 30, and it occurred to me that I don’t have any friends.” Sure, the comedian explains, there are guys he grew up with and bros he’s befriended through the years. But what about the kind of close friends you can talk about the Big Stuff with? When his mother faced a health crisis, he began to notice a dearth in that department. Mollica weaves humor with vulnerability throughout Solo: A Show About Friendship. Striding onstage at SoHo Playhouse in khaki pants, sneakers and a plain T-shirt, he presents himself as a pretty normal dude. While some of his stories are complicated, Mollica keeps us engaged for the whole ride, whisking us to bars, apartments and summer camps along the way; he is also often hilarious, with a low-key delivery that sneaks in jokes when you least expect them. (I’m still laughing at the suggestion that his mother should’ve been in charge of finding Osama bin Laden, since moms seem to know where everything is.) As much fun as raunchy humor can be, it’s refreshing to see a comedy show with a downright wholesome charm. Mollica is so endearing, in fact, that I’d now count his enemies among my own. Why then, is it hard for him to make the kind of friends he wants? That question goes beyond the parameters of this show; according to a recent study, less than half of American men feel satisfied with their friendships. But Mollica is rare in his incisive abi

The veteran stand-up comic, panel-show host and Weekend Update anchor Colin Quinn continues his run of theatrical one-man shows with this look at the nature of personality and the art of making conversation. James Fauvell is the director, having served as associate director for Quinn's last stage venture, Red State Blue State.