Fearing a Judd Apatow-like vulgarity extravaganza, I approached Embarrassed! with apprehension. No need! Artattack Theater Ensembles intimate (if tricky to find) venue has a living-room feel, and the articulate first-person monologues delivered from an armchair draw you in like This American Life. A young boy watches his freakish hippie parents scrambling to extinguish a fire in their multiple-use RV. A college girl elaborately booby-traps her own house to trap a peeper. A ministers determined daughter goes on with the show after her costume pops open irreparably during a stage performance with her parents in attendance. Unlike most stand-up, here the humor, confession, context, and genuine drama commingle here. The stories were collaboratively workshopped from the performers real-life experiences, and the laughs arent cheaptheyre felt. MARGARET FRIEDMAN
Thu., April 30, 8 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sun., May 17, 2 p.m. Starts: April 30. Continues through May 30, 2009
