What better way for the Bay Street Theater to conclude the summer season than with “Bonkers in the Boroughs” by Joy Behar, consisting of five short comedies, each of which takes place in a different borough of New York City. It will run from Wednesday through Sept. 6.
Funny, familiar, and unmistakably New York, the production takes a candid look at relationships and the everyday absurdities of life in the Big Apple. “It kind of arches back to Neil Simon and that kind of comedy, and I think it will be a great cherry on the top of our summer,” said Scott Schwartz, Bay Street’s artistic director.
Joining Behar are Craig Bierko, Veanne Cox, Robert Cuccioli, Illeana Douglas, and Lou Liberatore. At the center of it all is Behar, the Daytime Emmy Award-winning comedian and longtime co-host of ABC’s “The View.” Her stage work includes “The Food Chain,” “The Vagina Monologues,” and her solo show “Me, My Mouth, and I.”
Last summer she appeared at Bay Street in “My First Ex-Husband,” eight monologues performed by a rotating cast that included Susan Lucci, Jackie Hoffman, and Cox.
“Bonkers” was performed at Manhattan’s New York Comedy festival in 2023. Bay Street’s production is directed by Randal Myler, a two-time Tony nominee whose credits include “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues,” “Love, Janis,” and “Hank Williams: Lost Highway.”
Bierko’s Broadway credits include “Guys and Dolls” and “Girl From the North Country,” while his television appearances range from “The Good Wife” and “Boston Legal” to “Blue Bloods” and “Sex and the City.”
Cox, a Tony Award nominee who last performed at Bay Street as Frau Blucher in “Frankenstein,” has appeared on Broadway in “Company,” “An American in Paris,” “Caroline, or Change,” and “La Cage aux Folles.” Her small-screen credits include “Only Murders in the Building” and “Seinfeld.”
Cuccioli received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the title roles of “Jekyll & Hyde” on Broadway. His other Broadway credits include “Les Miserables” and “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”
Douglas has appeared in a variety of mainstream and independent film features, including “Goodfellas,” “Cape Fear,” “To Die For,” “Ghost World,” and “Factory Girl,” in which she played the fashion editor Diana Vreeland. Her TV credits include “Seinfeld” and “Frasier.”
Liberatore has earned Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations. Among his stage credits are “Richard II,” “Burn This,” and “As Is.” He has also appeared in “Law & Order,” “Sex and the City,” and “Nurse Jackie.”
Performances will take place Wednesday at 2 and 7 p.m., next Thursday at 7, Friday, Sept. 4, at 8, Sept. 5 at 2 and 8, and Sept. 6 at 2. Tickets range from $89.99 to $159.99.
The theater’s full bar opens in the lobby one hour before showtime.
