There’s probably something that will fall within everyone’s frame of reference, even if it’s just “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Many of the songs are loosely tied to themes of survival, endurance and more generally the foibles and flaws of humanity that presumably led to its devastation.

With just their voices and a few meager props, they concoct a madcap variety show that includes a deliriously deranged assortment of music. Mac’s character, who supplies his new pal with a bamboo cane and a bowler hat to match his own, these two proceed to pass the time by making music together, the urge to sing and dance drawing them into a sweet, almost romantic intimacy. Music, it is implied, is the force that will knit together a broken humanity after the apocalypse of the title has washed most of us away. Patinkin share no language but that of song. The two nameless characters portrayed by Mr. Not a word of dialogue is uttered by either performer during the production’s 80-minute running time. Stretching in new directions is a necessity for artists of any age or caliber, and all three deserve a round of hearty applause for concocting (with Paul Ford, the music director) this odd and often exhilarating show, which feels like a Beckett play - specifically “ Waiting for Godot” - with the gnomic words replaced by more than two dozen tunes from the (mostly) American pop and Broadway songbooks. The director and choreographer putting these two through their strange paces is Susan Stroman, whose work on Broadway (including “The Producers”) mostly falls within musical theater tradition.

Nevertheless they are not performers with an obvious cultural affinity, and the overlap between their fan bases could probably fit in a phone booth. Mac and, say, Wayne Newton would be an odder combination. Mac, the exotic performer and playwright usually treading the boards in glittery eye shadow and spike heels, are the last two performers I’d expect to share a stage. Patinkin, the Broadway veteran known for his high-intensity style, and Mr. The singular talents of Mandy Patinkin and Taylor Mac - yes, you read that correctly - combine to delightful effect in “ The Last Two People on Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville,” the weird and weirdly transfixing entertainment having its premiere here at American Repertory Theater.

Deluge for mac review