The latest experiment in New York theater is taking place in a tiny, L-shaped third-floor room with water-stained ceilings and dirty gray carpeting that served for decades as a dumping ground for old props. At 8:05 p.m. on a recent Saturday, seven musicians, squeezed nearly knee to knee there in the Lucille Lortel Theater, struck the opening chords to the musical “Carrie,” as the actors stepped onstage two floors below.
I’ve had friends who have been in other, distant locations for musicals. Seems ridiculous to me, and rather sad. But what do I know? I’m just an oboe player.