Middletown - Somewhat Recommended

Full disclosure: following seeing Middletown, a recent play by Will Eno staged at the Steppenwolf, I sat in on a brief discussion session led by the Assistant Dramaturg. In trying to isolate the impact of that provocative discussion, I believe my opinion of the play was briefly raised and then, post-discussion, lowered.

Middletown is two-act play with a unique middle that is, in many ways and in all its parts, too clever for its own britches. A cerebral pastiche of wry, intellectual humor adorns the first act, treating the audience to many good laughs and plenty of assaults on the fourth wall. Even the typical "here are the exits" monologue is clever, funny, and oddly out of place.

Throughout the first act, a darkness is hinted at - in particular, the darkness of isolation and loneliness - amidst the rollicking humor. At its most extreme, a violent encounter between the Cop and the Mechanic seems poised to open up a truly dark, festering world beneath, but that promise (like many others) is never fully realized. Rather, it is more like (as one of my intrepid colleagues suggested) a Seinfeld episode where nothing ever happens, but without the attachment to the characters that that show engendered.

The second act steps off the light-hearted cliff and takes us down into a world that is still unpredictable, where the characters largely don't matter, but where the humor is less frequent and the isolation more profound. Even there, though, there is not enough darkness to engage us: just enough to leave us tasting loneliness, seeing it all around us, without enough hope to lift us up or enough terror to get us to rebel.

It is, ultimately, a profoundly lonely play without any discernible hope or purpose.

Technically, the set is sparse and clever, matching the text of the play. The direction is a conundrum to me: the first act seemed much "flatter" to me than the second, but I remain uncertain as to whether that was the staging, the acting, the material or just an off night. I doubt the last two, as the audience seemed to react well to the humor, but again - it's a mystery.

So why do I recommend this play at all?

The writing in the first act is genuinely superior, and executed (by and large) quite well. The pseudo-opening and pseudo-intermission are quite clever, and therefore at least half the play is intriguing, entertaining, and plays with conventions in a manner that is often surprising. And, as a result of the dramaturg's knowledge and enthusiasm, I see that there are more tropes and depth to the play that are worthy of discovery and discussion.

Armed with a half-priced ticket, I'd say it's well worth the investment of time and money. But be prepared for the drain on your emotions.