An alien abduction and holiday depression

Extraterrestrials and the end-of-the-year blues are about as fresh sources for art as World War II or high school romance, yet both are the central topics for two current Off-Broadway shows. Despite not breaking any new ground as far as subject matter, both have a lot of talent behind them. So why does only one of them work?

"Striking 12," which opened this week at the Daryl Roth Theatre in Union Square, isn't actually a new work, having already played in other cities and in New York at the Ars Nova. It's the brainchild of indie rock trio GrooveLily and isn't so much as musical as it is a concert with a plot. There's no set, little blocking and that plot isn't much: A depressed schlub decides to stay in on New Year's Eve, but a surprise visitor selling light bulbs prompts him to read Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Match-Seller" -- hardly the story to brighten one's mood.

Keyboardist Brendan Milburn plays the nameless protagonist, and his wife, electric violin player Valerie Vigoda, handles the dual role of the light bulb seller and the match-seller in the story segments, as well as a few other females in our heroes life. Drummer Gene Lewin handles the rest of the male roles. Milburn and Vigoda also wrote the book, music and lyrics to the show, aided by Rachel Sheinkin of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" fame.

The story-telling style is consistently delightful. The three actor-musicians often break character for meta-action, such as when Lewin laments he's getting all the secondary characters, such as "post-nasal-drip guy," presenting the chance for a dynamo drum solo. The songs are witty, tuneful and serve the plot perfectly. Milburn makes an affable lead character, but Vigoda, a former performer with the Trans-Siberian orchestra, edges out as the slight standout performance here. Her voice is strong, pure and unaffected, almost of a Karen Carpenter quality at times. One particularly nice moment occurs in the song "Caution to the Wind," when she sustains a final note along with her electric violin, and for a moment, it becomes difficult to distinguish the instrument from musician. Overall, an enjoyable performance that clocks in a just under an hour and a half.

The same can't be said at this point, however, for "Dark Matters," now in previews at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. The play, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, centers around Michael Cleary (Reed Birney), a recent transplant from Washington, D.C. to rural Virginia, who arrives home to find his wife Bridget (Elizabeth Marvel) missing. Sheriff Benjamin Egan (Michael Cullen) and the Clearys' 16-year-old son Jeremy (Justin Chatwin) all join in the search to find her, but she returns on her own with a fantastic story to tell of an alien encounter. Not an abduction, mind you. These are aliens she's been seeing all of her life.

I enjoyed Aguirre-Sacasa's "Based on a Totally True Story," which ran Off-Broadway last season, but "Dark Matters" never matches the frantic energy that made the previous show so endearing. The characters react to the fantastic turns of events with all the amazement as if Bridget had said it was car trouble that made her disappear for a few days. When Bridget tells Jeremy that the aliens have been watching him his whole life, his first thought is to wonder if that includes in the shower.

Despite the book problems, the cast is mostly fine. Birney has the meatiest role, and he and Marvel, most recently seen on Broadway as one of the lizards in Edward Albee's "Seascape," make the most of the sometimes silly dialogue. Birney also gets the most genuine moments in the show with periods of concern for his family, and they make for some of the best moments in the entire play. The baby-faced Chatwin, best known as Tom Cruise's son in "War of the Worlds," has the least stage experience, and it shows at times, but he usually holds his own. Cullen plays the sheriff as a somewhat sinister Andy Griffith figure, and it works until a ridiculous plot turn in the second act.

The show is a bit long and ends on somewhat of a baffling note. It's enjoyable in spots but never manages to achieve the cohesive pleasure of "Striking 12." For the freshest look on an old idea, that's the show to see in New York.