Seeing Jane Martin’s “Middle Aged White Guys” (at 6th at Penn Thursday-Sunday through Nov. 12, www.6ththatpenn.com, 619.688-9210) so soon after witnessing Greg Kotis’ “Pig Farm” (at the Old Globe through Oct. 29), one discovers they mine the same territory even though the former is set in a toxic dump and the latter at a pig farm.
The subject is middle-aged white men (you know who they are) and the havoc they wreak on women and society, personally, socially and politically. Neither play is exactly easy on the guys or complimentary to the women. Both are surreal, clever and sometimes tedious polemics.
The bare-bones production of “Middle Aged White Guys” at 6th at Penn is rather overstated (loud) for the space despite the ministrations of director Ralph Elias. The production was seen the night following its opening and perhaps the actors strayed dynamically from Elias’ instructions. Additionally, there was an extremely small audience, so laughing felt lonely, perhaps making the actors try even harder (louder). The production does, however, offer impressive performances by actors relatively new to this theatergoer, Katherine Tremblay and Donal Pugh.
The story concerns three middle-aged brothers, Roy (6th at Penn owner Dale Morris), Clem (Gerard Maxwell) and Moon (Pugh), who’ve made a mess of everything they’ve ever done. Holding a memorial toast in the dump for R.V. (the suicide-dead wife of one and lover of the others), the good ol’ boys are visited by Roy’s angry-as-hell, gun-toting wife (Rachel Carey) and the demanding, angry-as-hell spirits of their deceased mother (Jane Westmoreland) and the still voluptuous R.V. (the gorgeous Tremblay). R.V. tells them how pissed God (Elvis, played by Volt Francisco) is. “God” insists that as atonement for their sins they march to Washington, D.C., buck-naked carrying a sign that says “I’m Sorry.”
Would that it were that easy, Jane Martin, whoever you are (no one knows, but there’s plenty of speculation). Theatregoers should not expect the full Monty. The “I’m Sorry” sign gets in the way.