Capsule Reviews

Align The holidays usually bring frothy good fun to the theater. But A.D. Players, Houston's Christian theater group, have a whole new take on the season. Their Christmas production of Jeannette Clift George's Alignis a dour little show about a family of sad sacks who learn to be thankful when Mary of Magdala comes calling one Christmas Eve. The story starts out with a group of siblings coming home to an empty family home (the parents are dead now). When a strange woman (Andrea Lynn), dressed in full biblical garb, taps on their French doors, they have to let her in. After all, it's crazy cold outside. The woman then proceeds to identify herself as the same Mary who sat at Christ's tomb. And she's come from heaven to teach this morose group of siblings a thing or two about finding the meaning of life in God's plan. Many Christians might appreciate this stern Sunday school lesson. But this sour production, directed with plodding earnestness by Sissy Pulley, is anything but a happy celebration of the season. Through December 31, at the Grace Theater, 2710 W. Alabama, 712-526-2721.

Envy the CockroachIf you just can't get enough of "chicks behind bars" exploitation dramas -- like those cheesy Roger Corman movies Caged Heat and The Big Doll House -- then Bob Morgan's Envy the Cockroach, presented by dos chicas theater commune, should satisfy every lustful desire. The work starts out in documentary mode, with facts and figures from the Department of Justice detailing the alarmingly high percentages of physical, emotional and substance abuse that have led women to the big house. But it doesn't take long for Morgan's thoughtful, sympathetic study to switch gears and drive smack into his unique, patented S&M view of the world. His well-thought-out drama about three incarcerated women takes a nosedive in Act II as the outrages pile up -- and the more gruesome the better, it seems. Morgan tars his characters in 3D, surround sound and smell-o-rama. He doesn't know when to stop. The lives of Kaitlyn (Elizabeth Seabolt), Zoe (Jennifer Decker) and Jolene (Anne Zimmerman) have enough drama for three plays, yet at the conclusion, we don't understand them with any deeper insight than if we'd read about them in some dry psychological dissertation. Morgan shows us the salacious perversity of these women's lives in almost novelistic detail but only sketches in their hearts. The center is missing. He can clothe his problem play with missionary zeal, but in the end, Morgan would rather shock than reform. Through December 10. Free Range Studios, 1719 Live Oak, 832-283-0858.

Full CircleCharles Mee's Full Circle is a wild, rangy ride of a play stuffed full of smart ideas and strange images. Of course, strange and smart is what the folks at Infernal Bridegroom Productions do so well -- and when that strangeness involves the politics of capitalism along with women baring their breasts, the show that results is as wonderfully bizarre as it gets. The story takes place during the chaos of 1989 East Berlin, just as the Wall is falling. The characters include a wealthy Western socialite named Pamela Dalrymple (Tek Wilson); the dreaded communist who ruled East Berlin from 1971 to 1989, Erich Honecker (Walt Zipprian); and an East German student named Dulle Griet (AJ Ware). Their tale slides easily between political rant and Stooge-like comedy. Stolen baby in tow, Pamela and Dulle Griet find themselves running from two clownish German guards (played with hilarious silliness by Noel Bowers and Cary Winscott) as they make their way through a country frothed up into a frenzy of change. Directed by Anthony Barilla with gleeful fun, the show integrates music, dance, political rants and a killer set (by Kirk Markley) to create a show about big ideas that makes thinking hard look like a whole lot of fun. Through December 17 at the Axiom, 2524 McKinney, 713-522-8443.

A Pure Gospel Christmas: Coming Home Now running at the Ensemble Theatre, A Pure Gospel Christmas: Coming Home is a frenetic burst of energetic song celebrating the holiday season. Conceived and directed by David A. Tobin and Leslie Dockery, the show is built around a thin little story (written by Tobin) about a choir full of cartoonlike characters who fuss and fight as they learn to appreciate how important they are to one another. The denizens of this world include an old woman who cooks sky-high pineapple upside down cakes, an old man who pulls out his flask at inappropriate times, and a hip-hop-loving youngster who spouts off to his elders whenever he can get away with it. There is absolutely nothing new here. And at times, one can't help wishing the creators would just do away with the story, as it's really nothing more than a lame excuse to get to the music. Happily, when the performers (led by a terrifically appealing Anthony "Boggess" Glover) are busy singing and dancing, the frenzy of energy that spins across the stage keeps the two-and-a-half-hour production moving quickly. And by the show's end, when everyone in the audience is clapping and nodding along with the singers, only a Scrooge wouldn't find himself in good cheer. Through December 31. 3535 Main, 713-520-0055.