New play ‘The Mallard’ ducks disappointment, is funny and thoughtful on N.J. stage

New play ‘The Mallard’ ducks disappointment, is funny and thoughtful on N.J. stage

“The Mallard,” a new play by Vincent Delaney now running at Union’s Premiere Stages, opens, innocently enough, at a yard sale. The scene seems typical: cluttered yard, junky goods, sellers hoping to make some extra cash. But it does not take long for Delaney to destabilize this familiar scene and raise the stakes well beyond the price of a tea service or a mostly functioning toaster.

REVIEW: “The Mallard” at Premiere Stages

Nine years ago, Premiere Stages introduced me to the playwright Vincent Delaney with a production of Las Cruces. I thought he had a masterful ability to pull a topic right out of the day's headlines and place it into a story that showed the affect it had on real lives - turning the stories from mere statistics into something more. After seeing his latest work at Premiere Stages, I am fully convinced of his ability.