Allison Hirschlag in "The Weird"

Comic book writer and playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s collection of pulp plays "The Weird" will be staged at Manhattan Theatre Source (177 Macdougal Street), opening February 18. The production stars Matt Cohn, Allison Hirschlag (ex-Lizzie Spaulding, GUIDING LIGHT and daughter of Julia Barr), Melissa Pinsly, Lucky Gretzinger, Mark Stetson and Mark Rosenthal, and is directed by Celine Rosenthal and Erin Gilmore. Performances are February 18 through 20 at 8:00 PM; February 20 and 21 at 2:00 PM; February 25 through 27 at 8:00 PM; February 27 and 28 at 2:00 PM. Tickets ($18) are available at: theatermania.com.

"The Weird" is produced by Wake Up, Marconi! Productions, a New York City company formed in 2005 by a group of New York University Tisch School for the Arts’ students.

"The Weird" is a collection of six short pulp plays that riff on classic horror movies, urban legends and comic book characters, linked together by themes of trust and the nature of relationships. Each one takes archetypal characters from well-known tales of terror and fantasy and throws them into more turmoil than the original creators could ever have imagined. In The Ten Minute Play About Rosemary's Baby, Rosemary must cope quickly with her husband's betrayal while carrying the spawn of Satan. Insect Love teaches us that mad scientists have a difficult time asking people out too. Morning Becomes Olestra is a cautionary tale for any woman considering cheating on her husband, especially with a vampire. Anything can happen when the horrors of love are mixed up with the horrors of the supernatural, but one thing is for sure, no one is going to make it out alive.