Here at Stage Fog we try, a bit desperately at times, to wrench the week's picks into some sort of theme. "Sex and the U.S. Government" seems a bit of a stretch, but really, if you think about it--gay marriage, abortion, Clinton--it works. So this week, you'll find some sex and some government, but no Clinton, alas.

Purvis at Intersection for the Arts
Despite the storm last night, theatergoers packed Intersection for the Arts' small theater to witness resident company Campo Santo's latest world premiere of fiction writer Denis Johnson's Purvis. (Yes, Campo Santo opens on a Monday night, and still people push the place to capacity.) Johnson's past collaborations with the company, which include rad titles like Shoppers Carried by Escalators into the Flames and Soul of a Whore, all explore the ambiguities and contradictions of the American soul with a biting, insightful wit. Purvis does the same, but this time Johnson appropriates more specific American history, specifically Melvin Purvis's capture of Public Enemy Number One John Dillinger. This play doesn't gel as much as his previous ones, but Purvis displays some amazing writing (in blank verse no less) with visceral metaphors and entertaining sight gags like actress Catherine Castellanos playing J. Edgar Hoover in its journey into the making of American myths, celebrities and icons.
Playing through March 20

Photo of a scene from Purvis, courtesy of Intersection for the Arts.