"Try it at a party the next time someone asks what you do for a living. Say I'm a nanny. It's a real conversation killer." So quips Lisa Ramirez in Exit Cuckoo, the autobiographical solo show she wrote and currently performs at The Harold Clurman Theatre. Although its depiction of the world of modern-day Manhattan nannying benefits from the clear ring of truth, the 90-minute work is only partly successful as a dramatic piece due to a pat, preachy ending and a lack of overarching narrative tension.

After arriving in Manhattan from San Francisco with her sights set on working as an actress, Ramirez soon found herself at a nanny agency looking to make ends meet. What began as a temp job, howe[...]