Sam (Danny DeVito) is not a hoarder.  His kitchen is spotless.  His bathroom, too.  He just has a lot of stuff.  Books, magazines, board games, poker chips.  A television from the ’sixties that never worked—even in the ’sixties.  There’s nowhere to sit down, but it’s not like it’s dirty.  He won’t even let his best friend, Foster (Ray Anthony Thomas), eat a croissant without a plate.  Still, since Sam has refused to cut his grass, the fire department is coming, and they could throw him out.

Theresa Rebeck’s I Need That is unambitious, inoffensive Broadway fare.  The dramatic beats are predictable, the laughs are consistent, and mental illness is treated with the kind of lightweight comedy that never risks making anyone uncomfortable (or self-reflective).  Sam is a widower, and his inability to throw things away is tied to his grief.  But it is clear from the beginning that everything and everyone will turn out all right.  It is that kind of play.

DeVito, with his bizarre posture, his pronounced New Jersey accent, and his ring of unkempt, white hair, is perfect for Sam.  The highlight of the show is his solo, profanity-laden game of Sorry!  He makes an art out of masticating and on-stage spitting.  I have no trouble believing this actor could be this character.  Lucy DeVito, his real-life daughter, is a solid sparring partner, as is Thomas, though both mostly play straight man to Sam’s antics.

For the performances, then, I Need That might be worth a watch.  But I can’t imagine it will endure in revivals.

I Need That runs through December 30th at the American Airlines Theatre.  227 W. 42nd Street  New York, NY.  1 hour 40 minutes.  No intermission. Photograph by Joan Marcus.