We saw a really bizarre play last night at New World Stages called Burleigh Grime$ (warning: the website has sound). It was only the second preview, and you could tell. This show needs a lot of work.

The cast of seven had some familiar faces: Wendie Malick from Just Shoot Me, Mark Moses from Desperate Housewives, and Ashley Williams from How I Met Your Mother. We sat near the end of the second row, but the first row’s seats didn’t extend that far, and the first row was nearly empty anyway, so we were essentially in the first row. It’s cool being so close to actors, especially famous ones. We were THISCLOSE to Paul Young.

We saw this show because it was supposed to have original music by David Yazbeck, of whom Matt is a big fan. Indeed, there was lots of incidental music by Yazbeck, all played by a (way too loud) onstage band, but as Matt pointed out to me, the music wasn’t new. When we got home, he popped in one of Yazbeck’s CDs, and out came the music we’d just spent two-plus hours listening to.

The show is about a greedy trader who manipulates the stock market, and all the people who succumb to the hope for riches in such a heady environment. In other words, it was really timely – seven years ago. There’s no reason for it to be on stage right now.

On top of that, the pacing was slow, which we chalked up to it being the second preview. The second act was nearly incomprehensible, including one scene toward the end that went on way too long. As for the audience, it was half-full and wholly dead. There were numerous lines in the show that were probably supposed to be jokes, but almost all of them were greeted with silence.

We felt bad for most of the cast members, particularly the three women – Malick, Williams, and Nancy Anderson – who all did a great job.

But it was one of the most awkward theatrical performances I’ve ever attended.