reviewvancouver: Pacific Theatre-Middletown, John Jane

Middletown is an offbeat drama written by Will Eno and directed by Arthi Chandra and Jamie King for a Sticks and Stones theatre production. The play itself boasts quite a large cast for a medium-sized company and is presented as a series of vignettes that fuse together in a common theme of loneliness and alienation. While the play has no linear narrative, it chronicles the arrival of Mary Swanson and her husband – who is never actually visible to the audience – to Middletown. It could be any small town or bedroom community anywhere in the English-speaking world.

At first, Mary is curious about the town and the inhabitants. She even visits the local library to find information on the town’s history. She meets Craig (Zac Scott), a mechanic who finds it difficult to control his alcohol consumption and as a result frequently draws the ire of an omnipresent cop. She also comes into contact with John Dodge (one of only two characters afforded a surname), a philosophically challenged handyman who actively welcomes Mary to her new home.

Melissa Oei is utterly convincing as a newcomer, as she transforms her character through various scenes. Jay Clift delivers a thoroughly committed performance as the troubled John. He and Peter Anderson provide the only humour in an otherwise serious play. Among the supporting roles, I liked Mike Wasko’s performance as the echinated policeman, though perhaps he took his role a little too earnestly. We eventually learn at the end of the second act that he is a sergeant and his name is Robert.

Matthew MacDonald-Bain’s sound is integrated with Daniel O'Shea’s between scenes video projections to pleasing effect. The set consists of an interlocking wooden floor and nine white-painted wooden chairs that are cleverly utilized for everything including: furniture, hospital beds and public art. The simplicity certainly helps the transition between the many various scenes.

Middletown is a strange choice for Pacific Theatre to launch their new season. The production is probably about half hour too long; there was a point midway through the second act when not only did I expect it to end, but hoped it would. Fortunately, the two and a half hours spent sitting in the theatre were on brand new comfortable seats.