Patinkin and Mac and the End of the World

That's great, it starts with an earthquake....

American Repertory Theater is currently running The Last Two People on Earth: an Apocalyptic Vaudeville. Mandy Patinkin and Taylor Mac discovered that they love the same music, so they wove thirty tunes into a cautionary tale of climate change. If you know Mandy Patinkin from his recent television roles, you will be entertained to see him in an evening of song and soft shoe. If you know him from Sunday in the Park with George, you will weep for the ravages of time and belting.

The material spans Irving Berlin to R.E.M., Gilbert and Sullivan to The Pogues. Richard Rodgers, Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim are balanced by Randy Newman, Patty Griffin and Paul Simon. If you listen to college radio and enjoy the Broadway hour, this is the show for you. If you don't like show tunes, stay away; it will seem like an 80-minute drama school vanity project.

True to the Vaudeville style there was plenty of visual shtick, much of it involving hats and canes. An inflatable doll, stage snow and a pie in the face had their comic effect. Taylor Mac's minute-long puke into a hat earned my biggest gut laugh. Credit goes to director and choreographer Susan Stroman, who found the right movement for this pair of passable hoofers. She also knew when to keep the action quiet. Some of the best and most sobering moments came when the two singers were absolutely still.