I avoided seeing this off-Broadway because of the good reviews from the usual critics lauding its political correctness. But to my astonishment, Wade McCollum is magnificently old-fashioned and insanely (but accurately) optimistic in the middle as Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, mysteriously communicating with, and appearing in, present-day trendy Brooklyn. The show then re-descends to mandatory tropes like an out-of-shape feminist unmarried mother equalling Sir Ernest's feats of Antarctic endurance. This somehow justifies her opting for even more irresponsible parenthood; Mr DiPietro sets up an odd parallel with Sir Ernest having to shoot his puppies to save his men from starvation. Mr DiPietro is skilled enough to pull this off dramatically, though one suspects that the baby is little happier with the situation than were the puppies.
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