She railroads Danny with sweet needles, barbs, and inquisitions until you want to run up onto the stage and put a pillow over her head. And Burstyn does this while lying in a hospital bed for 75% of the play. After that, she gets to sit in a wheelchair. It's not easy to sustain obsession and control when you are physically vulnerable the entire time. Burstyn pulls it off handsomely.

The story weaves and lurches, never quite getting where it means to go. There is no satisfying one-two punch. There are remarkable moments, however, and the quality of the performances alone is a thrill to watch. The LAByrinth Theater Company consistently gathers good actors who are rarely beautiful or handsome in the conventional sense, but whose work is seamless and of the highest quality. I am never disappointed when I see their work.

This is a production worth seeing because of the ethic attached to the company. LAByrinth is not neat and tidy-making. It bubbles and evolves with every production. Shows may rock and roll a little. Cargo gets tossed and shifted. But that's to be expected when the journey has abandoned the drawing board for the reality of the path.

Good on them.

The Little Flower of East Orange

By Stephen Adly Guirgis; directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman

WITH: Ellen Burstyn (Therese Marie), Elizabeth Canavan (Aunt Margaret/Justina/Nurse 2), Liza Colón-Zayas (Magnolia/Nurse 1/Pope John XXIII), Arthur French (Detective Baker/Jimmy Stewart/Father Lander/Orderly), Gillian Jacobs (Nadine/Cathleen), Ajay Naidu (Dr. Shankar), Howie Seago (Francis James), Michael Shannon (Danny), Sidney Williams (David Halzig/Bobby Kennedy/Surgeon 1/Uncle Barney/Plainclothes Detective) and Davis Zayas (Espinosa/Surgeon 2).

Sets by Narelle Sissons; costumes by Mimi O’Donnell; lighting by Japhy Weideman; Presented by the LAByrinth Theater Company, John Ortiz, artistic director, and the Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, artistic director. At the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, NYC; (212) 967-7555. Through May 4. Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes.