New York's Current Off-Broadway Plays.

From the three one-act plays in Almost an Evening to the series of four short plays in The New Century, there's something for everyone in the current Off-Broadway plays that are on offer. So after booking our discount flight tickets to New York, we decided to investigate what New York plays were showing that were not on Broadway, and to our delight we found a great selection.

With Edward Albee's Occupant being a portrait of acclaimed sculptor Louise Nevelson, showing at The Peter Norton Space 555 West 42nd Street, this is a quest to capture a charismatic and complex artist and persona. Who was Louise Nevelson? What is the relationship between creator and creation? Only she knew. Len, Asleep in Vinyl, is about a legendary but disillusioned music producer who has retreated to a cabin in the woods, comforted by his mountains of records. Showing at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre, Broadway at 76th Street, when his estranged son and a pop star arrive, Len finds himself caught between their dreams and his own demons.

At the Lucille Lortel Theatre 121 Christopher Street, reasons to be pretty, follows Greg, whose tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his off-handed remarks about a female co-worker's pretty face get back to his girlfriend. But that's just the beginning. How much is pretty worth? Almost an Evening consisting of three one-act plays: Waiting, someone waits somewhere for quite some time, Four Benches, his voyage to self-discovery takes a British intelligence agent to steam baths in New York and Texas. Then onto park benches in the U.S. and U.K. Debate, cosmic questions are taken up, showing at The Theatres at 45 Bleecker, 45 Bleecker Street.

With over 8,000 performances to date, Perfect Crime, continues in the heart of Times Square in New York City at the Snapple Theater Center 1627 Broadway. Perfect Crime is a sexy, compelling thriller, with well-timed surprises and laughs that relieve a growing dramatic tension. My First Time, is in the style of The Vagina Monologues, featuring four actors in hysterical and heartbreaking stories about first sexual experiences written by real people...just like you. On at the New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street.

From Up Here Liz Flahive's new American play concerns a high school senior who needs to apologise to his entire school for something he did. On at the Manhattan Theatre Club, 131 West 55th Street. The New Century is a series of four short plays, which feature everyone from a concerned Long Island mother of at least three gay children, to an accomplished Midwestern craftswoman, to one of Mr. Rudnick's favorites, Mr. Charles, a flamboyant resident of Palm Beach. On at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater, 150 West 65th Street.

At the Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street, Port Authority, introduces us to Kevin, Dermot and Joe, three generations of Irishmen. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Dublin, each man's story is a beautifully woven tale of failure, loss and the elusiveness of love. Winner of the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Rafta, Rafta&, is a humorous tale of close-knit Indian family life in Britain. Rafta, Rafta... is Ayub Khan-Din's comic look at the generational divide on sex and marriage and shows at the Acorn Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street.

Well that's a tour of the plays that are showing off New York's Broadway at present, more details at www.travel05.co.uk

Consultant to the travel and leisure industry, writer for the leisure website www.travel05.co.uk.