Blue Pencil: Off-Broadway’s Burning Blue to Close This Weekend

Burning Blue, which opened Off-Broadway at the Samuel Beckett Theatre on October 16, will close this weekend. Written by D.M.W. Greer, the play previously had successful runs in London and Los Angeles. It concerns a military “witch hunt” that ensues following a fatal accident when a Navy fighter pilot is thought to have been involved in a homosexual relationship with the deceased.

At the time of its closing at the Beckett, Burning Bue will have played 15 previews and 20 regular performances. In his October 17 review of the production, TheaterMania’s Dan Bacalzo wrote that “the topic of gays in the military is handled sensitively and with some complexity. The play delves into the social bonds between men that include homoerotic innuendo and horseplay without sacrificing the testosterone driven masculinity at the core of these men’s lives.” But he also expressed the opinion that “the play veers a little too far into melodrama to make it completely workable.”

Burning Blue will close after the performance of Sunday, November 3 (which will begin at 5pm). The production stars TV and film actor Chad Lowe, with Mike Doyle, Matthew Del Nigro, and Bill Dawes in other leading roles; it is directed by John Hickok and produced by George DeMarco.