Seat Filler

The Whipping Man
Matthew Lopez, a gay Puerto Rican playwright who resides in Brooklyn with his partner, doesn’t just write what he knows. Instead, he’s created a fascinating drama about a Jewish confederate soldier who celebrates Passover with two former slaves in their charred Virginia home at the Civil War’s end, likening the Egyptian exodus to their newfound freedom. A grisly leg-amputation scene alone begs for a Broadway transfer.
Manhattan Theatre Club - Stage I, through March 13.

The Road to Qatar!
After last year’s Yank!, the York Theatre Company stumbles with Stephen Cole and David Krane’s genial musical groaner based on their real-life Hope-and-Crosby-style road adventure as gay Jewish writers commissioned to create a musical spectacular for the Emir of Qatar. It’s a great story — think [title of show] meets Sex and the City 2 —and I’d love to hear every detail over drinks, but it makes for a hoary, amateurish show.
Theatre at St. Peter's, through February 27.