Two epically awkward dates make a satisfying finale to the off-Broadway comedy “When January Feels Like Summer” — they’re a long time coming, though.
Playwright Cori Thomas enjoys her characters so much, she can’t bear to shut them up. And so each scene in this Harlem-set story of love and desire ends up going on way too long after its point’s been made.
Nowhere is this more obvious than with Devaun (Maurice Williams) and Jeron (J. Mallory McCree), two exuberant 20-year-old motormouths. They’re all up in arms because Devaun — excitable, sweet and not as slick as he thinks — is convinced a local guy made a pass at him.
So the wannabe avengers decide to warn people against this potential predator by putting up posters all around the neighborhood, including at the bodega run by Nirmala (Mahira Kakkar) and her younger brother, Ishan (Debargo Sanyal).
Actually, make that her sister, because Ishan is transitioning into a woman, Indira, who becomes more and more feminine over the course of the show.
By the time Devaun lays eyes on Indira, she’s a long-haired siren and the young man — unaware she still has the original plumbing — asks her out.
“I did not know if I should be afraid or flattered,” Indira breezily tells Nirmala and her own suitor, Joe (Dion Graham), a courtly sanitation worker.
The playwright’s obvious affection for this motley bunch of New Yorkers makes it easier to overlook the hackneyed moments and slack pacing.
Daniella Topol’s production also has a cast that makes the dialogue sing. Sanyal is particularly funny as Indira, who sashays around with a confidence that barely covers up vulnerability. Give this guy a sitcom, stat!