Theater critics can’t help but feel both tickled and ticked off by playwright Tom Stoppard’s portrayal of hapless Moon (Liam Castellan), forever the second-stringer, and lascivious Birdboot (Ryan Walter) in this devilishly clever one-act. We watch them watch an Agatha Christie-ish murder mystery — which on its own would be a great parody — that reaches a new level of absurdity when the snarky scribes are seduced into the action. Director Dan Hodge (who staged Curio’s brilliant recent version of The Tempest) calls the Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead playwright’s mixture of lofty ideas and low humor “the thinking person’s stupid play.” Previews start tonight.
Dec. 5-29, $15-$20, Calvary Center, 4740 Baltimore Ave., 215-525-1350, curiotheatre.org.
