To date, a Netflix subscription may not have done much more than killed valuable hours of your free time, caught you up on missed episodes of “Futurama†and turned you on to the suggestions of its enigmatic recommendation engine. (Enjoyed vintage reruns of “Sesame Street� Why not try “The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3″?) But now that video service has inspired its own dramatic series, “The Netflix Plays,†which will be presented at Ars Nova, the not-for-profit Manhattan theater, by its Play Group, from Jan. 30 through Feb. 9, its press representatives said on Monday.
As with previous Play Group programs that have taken their inspiration from modern technology and Internet culture (see past offerings like “The Wikipedia Plays,†“The Urban Dictionary Plays†and “The Wii Playsâ€), “The Netflix Plays†combines live music with short dramatic works by 12 up-and-coming pl aywrights.
The titles of these plays, at least, should instantly conjure the experience of aimlessly wondering the Netflix interface for something you haven't already seen, including “Because You Watched Weekend at Bernie's 2: A Kantian Morality Tale†by Josh Koenigsberg; “Because You Watched Sherlock: Jack of Hearts†by Rachel Bonds, “Because You Watched Downton Abbey: Violently Overstated British Period Drama for ages 19-100″ by Dipika Guha; and “Because You Watched Frasier: BECAUSE YOU WATCHED FRASIER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!†by Michael Mitnick.
Other participating playwrights include Sarah Gancher, Sarah Burgess, Bess Wohl, Sharyn Rothstein, Jon Kern, A. Zell Williams, Nick Gandiello and Stephen Karam. The plays are directed by Jess Chayes, Wes Grantom, Jesse Jou and Portia Krieger.
