It’s not often I get to witness an honest-to-goodness theatrical reading, especially of new plays, off-Broadway but I did at Between Us Production’s 4 one-act reading series Notes Between Us. In the tight confines of a room at the Director’s Studio on 43^rd, the company presented a nearly two-hour evening that was quite compelling…and that’s saying a lot with new works presented simply with the actors sitting on stools, reading scripts off a music stand.

Two plays presented on either side of a ten minute intermission, the last of the night, Karl Custer’s “St. Patrick Battles the Bearded Serpent” was the jewel of the night. The longest play of the four which included a stab at the Lizzy Borden story “Lizzie Borden Took an Axe,” written by Robert N. Olive, featuring a stellar Vivian Mesiner, “Serpent” was silly, smart and bearded (you’d have to see it to get that reference). In this particular epic comedy, Stephanie Pezolano’s vocal talents also came to the fore.

Remember kids, there is a lot of great theatre happening in this big city of ours. One neesd to do themselves a favor and look far and wide for all these little jewels of shining great stuff happening.