NICE GIRL @Labyrinth Enjoyable Play with Exceptional Acting

Melissa Ross' new play NICE GIRL is a mother/daughter push/pull drama.  If not for the mother, the daughter  "...couldah been somebody."  "Why didn't you send me back to school?" is a repetitive plaintive directed at the mother.  Francine Rosen (Kathryn Kates, ("Orange is the New Black") plays the manipulative and captious mother.  Francine continuously pushes her daughter's buttons but rarely pushes herself out of the house or off the coach.  Josephine "Jo" Rosen (Golden Girl, Bwy) is 38 & still lives at home.  Jo works as a secretary and slaves to her mother's pugnacious demands.  Her sweet disposition (or lack of backbone) render Jo malleable to others.  Jo evokes our sympathy; to a point.  She is nice & likable and yearns for more in life yet unable to clarify any aspirations.  Francine is similar to the mother in "Marty." Both women squash any chance for their child's happiness if that may lead to their leaving.  Sherry plays a floosie, co-worker who easily sways Jo to be her wingman.  Donny (Bullets Over Bwy, Tony nom.) is the butcher who offers Jo a lean slice of romance.   The clever staging set in the 1980's & exceptional acting elevate a predictable plot.   Ross' NICE GIRL is an entertaining play that speaks to everyone being reponsible for their own happiness.  Unfortunately, most people prove their own worst enemy.  Do youself a favor, see this engaging play.