Laurel Holland and Michael Micalizzi in a scene from Love/Stories
(Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

In the last few years, Itamar Moses has become a hot playwright with major productions of his Bach at Leipzig, The Four of Us, and Back Back Back at such theaters as the New York Theatre Workshop and Manhattan Theatre Club. These three plays had all male casts. However, his innovative new evening of five one-acts, Love/Stories (or, But You Will Get Used To It), being given its world premiere by The Bats, the young resident company of The Flea Theater, offers the women the juicier parts. Although the title might suggest that these plays are romantic, they offer a cynical and jaded view of love. Nevertheless, each is left open-ended, suggesting that a happier conclusion may take place after the final curtain.

The five plays in Love/Stories are not interrelated but in each case a couple has either broken up, is on the verge of breaking up, or there is a threat of a break up. Moses stops each play just as a rapprochement of some kind is about to occur, leaving it up to the viewer as to how things turn out. As in life, you don’t always get to know all the answers. The plays vary in depth: some are basically anecdotes, while others are not only fully developed but with longer running time they could stand alone.

Working with the Bats, Michelle Tattenbaum, who has previously directed at least five plays by Itamar Moses, has staged each of these one-acts as taut, engrossing theatrical teasers and obtained trenchant performances from her company of five. Laurel Holland and Maren Langdon who both appear in three of the plays give memorable performances of demanding material.

The most unusual play, “Authorial Intent,” shows a couple at three times: a break-up, which later is revealed to be a scene in a play; a sped-up version of the same scene but with the actors offering “the authorial intent” throughout, and finally, a backstage scene after the show with the same two performers now out of character. In this play Holland is required to shift gears three times, which she does superbly. In each version, Michael Micalizzi appears as a very sensitive man highly attuned to his partner’s needs.

In another powerful play, “Szinhaz,” we witness an interview being given by Istvan, an acclaimed experimental Russian theater director, who speaks no English. This is translated for us by Marie, an actress who has appeared in his productions. In the course of the interview, it is revealed that Istvan and Marie are a couple whose relationship is on the rocks. Langdon is hilarious in the first half of the play as she uses Marie’s limited knowledge of English to attempt to translate with teeth-breaking results. Both Langdon and Felipe Bonilla are devastating in the second half of the play when the revelations take a serious turn.

The other three plays are no more than anecdotes, but still unusual in plotting, with unexpected twists and turns. In “Temping,” Langdon is an office worker being dumped by her boyfriend on the telephone while co-worker Micalizzi attempts to do his job. The play is almost entirely a tour de force monologue in which Langdon runs the gamut of emotions in the course of three phone calls. Micalizzi, an excellent and expressive listener, again gives fine support as a man who finds himself being asked to offer more than a shoulder to cry on.

The curtain raiser, “Chemistry Read” uses all five members of the Love/Stories company. A playwright (played by Bonilla) and a director (Langdon) are auditioning a new play inspired by the playwright’s ex-girlfriend when in walks the actor (Micalizzi) who stole the woman away from the writer. As the actress hired to read with the auditioning men, Holland has a wonderful speech in which she attempts to save the day for the playwright so that he will not get stuck with the offending actor in his play. Holland makes it seem entirely spontaneous while at the same time letting us in on the fact that she is fabricating her entire story.

The final play, “Untitled Short Play,” has John Russo as a Reader, setting up a scene of a couple’s imminent break up, who keeps returning to add more information. The gimmick is amusing at first but palls before the end. As with all of the plays, it ends before the outcome is revealed. The theme of all five plays appears to be that in relationships you can never predict what the life has in store for you.

The plays are food for thought at the same time that they offer unusual ways of portraying relationships on stage. In two of the plays, the love interests never appear on stage but become real to us, nevertheless. In two others, couple are presented first in one way and then layers are peeled away to reveal them as quite different than we first imagined. In all five plays the characters are distanced from us by being described by others before we get to know them.

At 90 minutes, the evening feels exactly the right length. However, in one single way the playwright does need an editor: the prerecorded pre-curtain speech delivered by the author goes on longer than necessary and isn’t as funny as he thinks it is. Moses can be forgiven only because the plays that follow are fascinating, original and innovative.

Jerad Schomer has successfully solved the technical problem of designing for five different one-acts by having all the set elements on stage simultaneously and having lighting designer Joe Chapman highlight what is needed for each scene. The costumes by Jessica Pabst are contemporary, comfortable, and perfectly suited to the situations.

Love/Stories (or, But You Will Get Used To It) by Itamar Moses is a cynical view of love that also leaves open the possibility of growth or new loves arising out of bad situations. Directed by Michelle Tattenbaum, The Bats, the talented young resident company of The Flea Theater, turn this innovative grouping of one-acts into a hypnotic evening of theater. Go expecting to be surprised as well as entertained. You will not be able to take your attention away from the stage for a single moment.

Love/Stories (or, But You Will Get Used To It) (through March 9)

The Flea Theater, 41 White Street, between Church Street and Broadway, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-352-3101 or http://www.theflea.org