Movies always get it wrong. They make experimental Downtown theater seem vaguely entertaining, if only in a batshit crazy way. In reality, however, experimental Downtown theater is usually an unalloyed snooze, punctuated by furtive twitching as you try to find a comfortable way to sit in the medieval torture devices most tiny theaters use as chairs.

So what a surprise to walk into the Witzenhausen Gallery—where the floor has been covered in dirt—for a genuinely fun, funny and interesting evening at Welcome to the Woods.

Even the audience’s uncomfortably close proximity to the three actors didn’t freak me out the way it normally would. A weird, fantastical story about friends Dora (Glory Gallo) and Fannie (Robin Riker) lurching through the woods and away from Dora’s husband, Welcome to the Woods feels like a fever-dream version of Thelma and Louise, one in which they encounter, among others, a fairy, a satyr, a horny married man and a priest (all played by Jonathan Co Green).

Translated from Alex van Warmerdam’s original Dutch script by director Erwin Maas, Welcome to the Woods becomes a twisty, off-beat examination of the perils of being a woman. Dora and Fannie aren’t above fighting one another over a man (even if it happens to be a priest in the middle of the woods), even as they depend on one another for solace and support in the middle of an increasingly frightening world. But they also have a genuine affection for another, a rapport that Gallo and Riker effortlessly convey as they fling off their watches or ponder what one does with the corpse of a fairy.

Though their performances seem effortless, Welcome to the Woods is impossible to imagine without the specific qualities the trio of actors bring to their roles. Gallo is an immensely likable performer, warm and vulnerable, even as she argues against her best interests. Balancing her nicely is Riker’s tart presence (the image of her tromping through the dirt in heels is indelible and very, very funny), which prevents the story from tipping over into a maudlin, mod fairy tale. And Green is a delight in his various guises, particularly the leering, sneering satyr and the aforementioned fairy. Under Maas’ sure direction (and with a wonderfully evocative lighting design by Tim Cryan), Welcome to the Woods turns out to be very welcome indeed.

Also welcome is playwright Blair Singer’s comedy Meg’s New Friend, now playing at Manhattan Theatre Source. Written with actor Megan McQuillan in mind, Meg’s New Friend finds Meg (McQuillan), a struggling TV news reporter who decides with an almost grim determination to add an African-American man to her list of friends—the closest one being her best friend’s new boyfriend, Ty (Damon Gupton).

But halfway through the play, Singer switches gears from a very funny play about race and class to a more conventional messy romantic comedy. Gone are Megan’s endearing, startled faux pas, replaced by illicit conversations, break-up drama and broken hearts. The play remains tightly written and superbly acted, but it’s disappointing to watch Singer focus on the romance springing up between Ty and Meg.

Still, few plays manage to be both as viciously insightful into the ways in which people rationalize their casual racism and laugh-out-loud funny as Meg’s New Friend (though the character’s verbal gymnastics owe a bit to episodes of the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine). Determined to spring out of her fluffy prison at the local news station, Meg sees Ty as her ticket to “grittier” stories—even as she fumbles apologetically over referring to his yoga course for at-risk teens as gritty. And she defends her choice of befriending Ty to her boyfriend (Michael Solomon) as “affirmative action friendship.”

Director Mark Armstrong has conquered MTS’s awkward playing space and elicited strong performances from his quartet of actors; Solomon and Mary Cross, as Meg’s friend Rachel, both deliver delicious comic performances that gradually melt into tearful heartbreak. Cross, in particular, is a restrained tour de force in a late-in-the-play confrontation between Rachel and Meg. Gupton oozes charm, but isn’t entirely convincing when he warns Meg about his asshole behavior.

And McQuillan has clearly found a friend in Singer, because most actresses would kill for the role of Meg. Transformed from a shallow lifestyles reporter into a strong-willed woman who unflinchingly makes life-changing decisions, McQuillan invests Meg with so much heart and likeability that even her most questionable choices seem acceptable. All great shows entertain and enlighten, but Meg’s New Friend does something else: It makes you eagerly anticipate what everyone involved will do next.

>Welcome to the Woods

Through Dec. 10. Witzenhaus Gallery (232), 548 W. 28th St., 2nd floor (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-868-4444; times vary, $18.

>Meg’s New Friend

Thru Dec. 20. Manhattan Theatre Source, 177 MacDougal St. (betw. Waverly Pl. & W. 8th St.), 212-352-3101; times vary, $25.