Theft of Imagination

Theft of Imagination is quite possibly the perfect show to see during the Broadway strike: it's a play about two rival nations with only thirteen days left to broker an end to their protracted (and silly, given how similar they are) war and it's free (though you'll want to leave a donation). It's also an example of how far you can push the imagination when it isn't being overwhelmed by the strobe lights and chorus numbers of the Great White Way: Theft of Imagination is performed very modestly, which rightly keeps the focus on David Negrin's well-paced and nicely progressive text. The cast, led by the charismatic young Max Hambleton, acquits itself well (though the adults of the play have some hammy, mustache-twirling lines) and though the play is an exhaustive study of negotiation tactics, it largely gets through its two-and-half-hours with a minimum of repetition (though future revisions should certainly look to pare down), and a surprisingly rich use of character, despite names like Introverted Boy and Outgoing Boy's Handler.

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