Adapted from a series of 1950s lesbian pulp novels by Ann Bannon, The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, now at the 4th Street Theatre, manages to strike just the right tone of playful sincerity. Skillfully directed by Leigh Silverman, Kate Moira Ryan and Linda S. Chapman's script contains plenty of humor, which occasionally comes across as campy and over-the-top, but always in an affectionate manner that pays tribute to the source material without mocking it.

Bannon wrote six books altogether, and Ryan and Chapman have specifically drawn from I Am a Woman, Women in the Shadows, and Journey to a Woman for their delightful play, which spans the years 1952-1960. However, the work is easily accessible[...]