A friendly invasion: Artists from the U.S., Canada and Northern Ireland perform at the MET

Bob Paisley, through his Central Standard Theatre, will present the fifth annual Invasion starting Friday.

The mini-theater festival used to be called the British Invasion, but Paisley changed the name to allow more flexibility in attracting artists from the U.S. and other parts of the world.

This year the lineup does, in fact, include one performer from the U.K. Canada and France are represented as well. So is Los Angeles, which sometimes feels like a foreign country.

Theatergoers who have taken in previous editions of the Invasion know to expect provocative, unpredictable theater that can be exceptionally funny, intensely dramatic and almost always intellectually stimulating. In other words, Paisley has a track record of presenting good stuff.

The shows:

▪ “In the Window,” a comic drama written and performed by Nuala McKeever of Belfast, Northern Ireland. McKeever, sometimes billed as Northern Ireland’s “Queen of Comedy,” is a veteran of the international fringe circuit. In this piece, directed by Andrea Montgomery, a woman named Margaret contemplating the abject loneliness of her existence decides to go out in style — but is interrupted by an intruder, a neighbor and a policeman.

▪ “Years to the Day,” performed by Jeff LeBeau and Michael Yavnieli of the Skylight Theatre Company in LA. The play by Allen Barton depicts the reunion of two old friends who haven’t seen each other for decades. Any contact has been through social media. When they agree to meet face-to-face over coffee, the encounter takes an unexpected turn. The play, in part, examines the contrast between our carefully shaped online identities and the underlying reality. This show is directed by Joel Polis.

▪ “Hamlet (the Notes),” performed by John Jay and written and directed by Dan Jemmett, is a world premiere. The piece depicts a stage director giving notes to his actors and crew after the first preview of a production of “Hamlet,” which is far from ready. He dishes out praise, criticism and congratulatory self-regard as he tries to whip the production into shape by opening night. The audience is cast in the role of his actors. Jay is Canadian and Jemmett is based in Paris.

This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 2:38 PM with the headline "A friendly invasion: Artists from the U.S., Canada and Northern Ireland perform at the MET."