A cross-country road trip that occupied the show’s center 11 months ago has been jettisoned. “Hundred Days” now takes place entirely in New York City (mostly in Astoria, Queens), with lots of internal detours into the twisty corridors of each partner’s mind. The shift in focus from outside to inside clarifies and intensifies what was already an affecting piece.
Mr. Bengson, who exudes a defensive deadpan calm that hints at demons scrambling beneath, sums up their chronicle with the jaunty disclaimer, “So here it is, the sound of introverts pining!” That may not sound like much fun. But accompanied by a wonderfully droll quartet of singing musicians — Colette Alexander, Jo Lampert, Dani Markham and Reggie D. White — the Bengsons are stirring, and surprisingly witty, company.
The Bengsons’s distinctive stage presence matches the story they tell. They begin awkwardly and self-consciously, as if reluctant to commit even to performing. But as the show picks up momentum, their own music sweeps them into galvanizing eruptions of passion and existential anger. And the sound of Ms. Bengson wailing like a banshee as she considers the mangling trap that is love will echo in your ears for days to come.
The physical production is austere, with little in the way of scenery beyond a constellation of light bulbs. Which turns out to be all that’s needed for a show that celebrates and laments the elusive radiance of a shared life.
