Infinite Abyss

A reputation of controversy precedes Mitzi’s Abortion, a Seattle black box hit in 2006 that deals directly with late-term abortion. But don’t expect sign-wielding pickets outside Empire Stage during its short run at the Fort Lauderdale theater. Although it’s a deeply affecting work, Mitzi’s Abortion is hardly controversial; rather, it’s disappointingly safe. The Infinite Abyss company tamped down the play’s original provocations: Lead character Mitzi, scripted as a pregnant teenager, is a 22-year-old in our version. Mitzi has chosen to follow through with her pregnancy where others might abort out of convenience or concern for cost. This decision comes despite a low-paying job at Subway and a Middle East deployment for the child’s father, a man she met at Gameworks and barely knows. She changes her mind only when she learns that the fetus would be brain-dead upon arrival, with no hope for the most incremental recovery.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Starts: Oct. 15. Continues through Nov. 5, 2011