Palm Beach Dramaworks discovered something important this season: that playwrights named Eugene had a bead on this whole capitalist apocalypse thing long before anyone else. Dramaworks’ first Eugene play (by Eugene O’Neill) spoke of the depths of depravity to which a man can tumble if he thinks he might lose his house. The second one, Eugene Ionesco’s The Chairs, opens tonight. It shows how people might behave if they’ve finally figured out the meaning of life, but only after some hideous cataclysm has already carried off the whole rest of the world. We’re not there yet — there are still people, after all, and even Icelanders haven’t yet resorted to naked cannibalism in the streets. Still, you might want to take notes.

See Eugene Ionesco’s The Chairs at 8 p.m. tonight and through February 1 at Palm Beach Dramaworks (322 Banyan Blvd., West Palm Beach). Tickets cost $40 to $42. Call 561-514-4042, or visit palmbeachdramaworks.org.
Fri., Dec. 19, 2008