Review: MIDDLETOWN Explores Life at NextStop Theatre

We spend a lot of time thinking about the end and the beginning, in kind of self-aggrandizing ways. We talk about the miracle of birth and the mystery of death. But, by definition, all of our lives take place in the middle of those two sort of unknowable events, in this great and often unexamined middle.

Playwright Will Eno, in a 2013 interview in the Boston Globe spoke these words about his 2010 Vineyard Theatre production of Middletown, currently playing at NextStop Theatre in Herndon. When walking into the intimate space in Herndon, JD Madsen's simple and effective set greats us with clouds floating nimbly mid-stage. The simple set with three Astro-turf covered patches of playing area set up the simplicity of "anytown" America.

The play bills itself as a "modern companion to Our Town." Yes, the two plays share a similar subject of being any "anytown" America, but really the comparison ends there. Mr. Eno's play might be better titled Springfield, an almost absurdist homage to a long running cartoon family complete with an avant-garde version of a bumbling policeman, and a "not-quite-sane" next door neighbor. Middletown does not really know what to do with itself.

The main character, Mary, played wonderfully by Tamieka Chavis, is new to the town and is constantly awaiting her husband, who is held up on business. She is pregnant and about to give birth, yet her husband is nowhere to be found. Between her constant quest for acceptance by anyone in this new place and the absurdity of the characters she meets, I almost thought that "Middletown" is the place between Heaven and Earth. Especially with the aforementioned clouds about, the metaphysics of the show played like a look at the afterlife. If that was Mr. Eno's intent, than Brava, however, his play gets lost along that way. The end of act one is a prime example: a group of "audience" members (played by cast members) come onto stage with programs in hand and discuss what they just saw. If Mr. Eno needed to include this blurb, then maybe he might have rewritten act one to make his conscience more apparent.

But enough of the short comings of Mr. Eno's work. Director Michael Chamberlin, who has had some great successes in the recent past (see: Old Wicked Songs) does a serviceable job making sense of the words he was given. His use of the audience (us) as a character works very well, and he uses the small space effectively. His cast choices are his greatest achievement in this piece, as they do a good job of conveying the absurdity of this piece. In addition Ms. Chavis, other standouts include Bruce Alan Rauscher as the police officer, and John Stange as the weird and "lost" John Dodge, the quirky neighbor who befriends Mary. Ms. Chavis and Mr. Stange particularly do a remarkable job of playing off each other and developing a relationship under absurdist circumstances.

Overall, NextStop does a dependable job of the task at hand. While life does indeed take place in between life and death, one small town's look at these events can bring questions about your own life and maybe my interpretation of the play is exactly what the playwright intended.

Middletown plays through February 7, 2016 at NextStop Theatre, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Hendon, VA 20170. Visit NextStop for tickets or call the box office 866-811-4111

Photo Credits: Traci J. Brooks Studios

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