THE COWARD in Action

For a literary treat, check out The Coward by Nick Jones at The Duke on 42nd Street, produced by LCT3, the swinging new-play wing of Lincoln Center. This tasty cream puff pastry presents a frothy-whipped filling of English fop culture, wrapped in a flaky, sitcom-funny, golden-brown crust. And smothered in irony sauce. I mean, I like making fun of the British as much as the next guy, but I couldn't help hearing certain closer-to-home political overtones, as well, through the mashed-up language. The direction by Sam Gold was extremely pleasing-to-watch, and the performances, particularly the perfectly named Lucidous by Jeremy Strong, was screechingly spot-on. I wonder how it will play when it moves across the Pond...