Review: GFour Productions “Middletown”

Dan Clancy’s play “Middletown” reflects on the lives of two couples who establish a close friendship, supporting each other through the trials and tribulations that life brings their way. The couples that guide you through this journey spanning several decades are Peg (Sandy Duncan) and Tom (Adrian Zmed), and Dottie (Didi Conn) and Don (Donny Most). During the preface of the play Peg introduces the characters and remarks on the staging which consists of four stools and music stands upon which folders containing the scripts are placed. She explains there is no scenery and minimal lighting which is just the way she likes it, “Simple.” The events and confrontations that follow are a far cry from simple. They are saturated with joy, tragedy, shock, celebration, and heartbreak. That may be the one problem with the script. Mr. Clancy has packed too much into the lives of these four people in an effort to connect to the everyman. If you can think of an episode that might affect a person during their lifetime, it probably is included at some point during the play, including pregnancy, the Vietnam War, the 911 attack, infidelity, cancer, and death, just to name a few. Yes, those events happen in life, but not enough time was spent dissecting the effect on these four brave but vulnerable people.

What makes Mr. Clancy’s script work is the incredible cast that director Seth Greenleaf deftly guides from the moment the first words are spoken. A mere few minutes into the story and it is evident that these four actors have total control of the characters and imbue them with an abundance of emotion that almost hangs on every syllable. They are nothing less than remarkable. Ms. Duncan dissects Peg in order to let her insecurities turn into courage, never relying on technique to interfere with truthful emotion. Mr. Zmed is never threatened by the tender Tom, stripping him of the typical macho man image and embracing a more vulnerable persona. Ms. Conn can turn on a dime as she infuses Dottie with charm and humor while never missing the chance to display her insecurity. Mr. Most is almost capable of adding a fourth dimension to Don that transcends the typical husband and father role and creates just a person that leaves his baggage at the doorstep before he steps into the room.

“Middletown” is able to overcome its flaws mainly because of the cast and that is more than reason to watch this production that streams until April 4th. It is pure joy watching these four veterans exercise their craft and bring four very accessible characters to life.