COME FOR THE PROJECTIONS,
STAY FOR THE… PROJECTIONS
(AND HAVE AN EDIBLE)

A dazzling design team conjures Henry Darger’s
imagination while the script drifts somewhere offstage

I suppose when Martha Clarke proposes an idea for a theater production at this point in her illustrious career, the powers that be must grant her every blessing: no gatekeepers, no interference, no outside notes whatsoever. Especially when Beth Henley joins the team to adapt a script from the writings of Henry Darger—a reclusive Chicago janitor and dishwasher who, near his death, was discovered to be a prolific visual artist and epic novelist. Yes, yes, yes—a theatrical event to anticipate!

But I’m sorry to say that, for me, this performance-art piece—produced in a theater that sleeps 120—was more of a no, no, no.

I’m a huge fan of both Martha Clarke and Beth Henley, but I didn’t see much evidence of either artist’s signature in this production. Instead, the true star of this 70-minute technical tour de force is the design team—and the production stage manager who calls the constant, intricate cueing, Olivia Fletcher (no relation to me, I promise).

With Neil Patel (production design), Christopher Akerlind (lighting), Arthur Solari (sound), John Narun (projections), Faye Armon-Troncoso (set decoration and props), Red Murphy (cinematography), and Ruth Lingford (animation), this is Technical Theater at its very best. Young designers—take note and see this production! The cumulative design work is stunning, thrilling, and masterful.

What begins as a realistic one-room apartment slowly morphs into a dreamscape of Darger’s artwork. At first, the two windows reveal a rainy world outside, which gradually grows into photorealism as the exterior environment is described. Movement joins with moving video images. Animation is next introduced outside the windows. When Henry Darger (played by John Kelly) speaks of his sister, her face reflects in the mirror over the dresser. When he sits down at his typewriter, writing his epic novel, animated characters appear, and soon, images flood inside over all the interior walls—the entire set.

Overall, it feels like a performance-art installation that might function better in a gallery, where observers could come and go at will. There’s no dramatic structure to Henley’s script so whenever you begin watching makes no difference at all. Darger speaks about family members, his writing, his childhood, then returns to the characters of his epic novel, before shifting again—interrupted by someone banging on his door demanding that he “hold it down in there!”

John Kelly, a performance and visual artist himself, does an admirable job delivering 70 minutes of this stream-of-consciousness text. He portrays Darger as an eccentric recluse with an odd demeanor, though harmless enough. Still, the material itself isn’t especially engaging, and I’m not sure I learned much more about Darger than what was already provided in the program.

By all means, let’s pay tribute to an artist who received no recognition during his lifetime. Today, happily, Darger’s work can be seen in museums and collections around the world and is regarded as one of the greatest outsider artists in the art brut canon.

I cannot stress enough: the piece is visually stunning. But it’s also intellectually stunning in that I remain baffled as to why it exists and what it hopes to achieve. My only advice: don’t eat before the performance… unless it’s a gummy.

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photos by Carol Rosegg

Bughouse
Vineyard Theatre
Vineyard Theatre, 108 East 15th St
ends on April 5, 2026
for tickets, call 212.353.0303 or visit Vineyard Theatre
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