While I Was Out

Something you may not know about SubwayHooker is that, besides being a high-powered corporate wonk (okay, not so much), she has designed and created costumes for hundreds of plays, dance, puppets, and film over the last (mumble) years. This activity, though wonderful, has slowed down as of late due to serious demands on my personal bandwidth (you really can't phone it in and get a good show). My last big show was Bingo the Musical, which ran for a few months Off-Broadway, then toured a bit. But I was lured out of semi-retirement when the Immigrants' Theatre Project asked me to do this show, Marko the Prince, where "Passion, resentments, and malicious gossip in a small village on the Bosnian/Serbian border foretell the approaching Balkan war. The traditional Balkan troubador - the guslar - comments on the action as an inevitable result of history and unforgiven dishonors." The playwright is Jovanka Bach. The play was a finalist for the PEN West competition.

For fans of light-hearted fare, stay away. But if you like your theatre thought-provoking and intelligent, come to Barrow Group Arts Center 312 W. 36th St., 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10018. Previews start Friday, June 20, Opening is June 26, and the show closes July 13.