Toronto Review: "Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes" at Tarragon Theatre
Joe Szekeres, Chief Toronto Critic
Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch viscerally overturned the #metoo movement on its head with a sizable goose egg bump at the premiere of her ‘Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes’ at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre on the Mainstage.
And it’s one helluva of a terrific play that demands to be seen given the context and framework of the metoo movement which has firmly gripped North American society in its tentacles at the present time.
A warning to future audiences there is some highly charged adult moments. I felt Intimacy Coach Siobhan Richardson securely worked with the actors to create believable and intimate behaviour which further adds to the character growth and the revelations within the fascinating plot.
Author and star professor Jon (intensely focused work by Matthew Edison) searches for something more within his unstable mid life crisis at the present time. Two failed marriages have contributed to his self loathing, and his third one is now ‘on the rocks’ as he is separated from his wife. To help keep his mind focused daily, Jon teaches creative writing to undergraduate students. He is a good teacher but there are times where he simply goes through the motions of preparing for his classes. Jon is also in the process of completing his next novel.
Enter Annie (a brave and beguiling performance by a red coated Alice Snaden), who takes one of Jon’s classes. We learn Annie is a fan of Jon’s novels and lives a few doors down from him. One day, Annie gets locked out of her house and ends up at Jon’s place as she has cut herself by accident trying to get into her home. The professor invites her in to help her clean up.
Yes, the sparks fly which made me feel uncomfortable periodically, but Ms. Moscovitch’s sordid tale of a student-teacher fling (with solid direction by Sarah Garton Stanley) became a gripping, riveting and sexy 80-minute story that told so much in what was being said and what was not being said. I will do my best not to spoil any plot twists as they left me and a few surrounding audience members sometimes with laughter one second and with gasps the next.
I especially liked Michael Gianfrancesco’s set design of a multitude of doors bathed in Bonnie Beecher’s velvety red wash colour lighting design. At the top of the show, the red focus on the doors reminded me immediately of the sometimes rather sterile environment within the halls of higher academic learning. During the performance, I was also reminded in the set design of the old saying ‘When one door closes, another one opens.’ Usually we hear this when personal growth opportunities are missed, but what happens when one closed door leads to another opening that is fraught with further peril and choices that may not be the best? And we enter that door anyway? This is exactly what occurs in ‘Misconduct’ and the results, while tempting, will leave scars forever.
Laura Warren’s video design at the top of the proscenium (like surtitles in foreign language operas) encapsulated succinctly what the scene detailed. Miquelon Rodriguez’s sound design was effectively timed to the action in the moment especially in the scene with Jon mowing his front lawn.
As I intently watched this production, I couldn’t help but think of David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’ several times. Both stories deal with the changing dynamics of the student-teacher/professor relationship. Both professors are members of the middle class who are struggling with personal changes in their lives. One of the highlights of Ms. Moscovitch’s text is the use of the monologue format. As central character Jon, Matthew Edison clearly found those peaks and valleys with accomplished and varied pacing in delivery so each monologue would not sound the same all the time. I was so caught up as I firmly believed Mr. Edison was speaking to me directly. I took a quick glance around and I could see other audience members who were also caught up in the various moments of the story themselves.
Mr. Edison and Ms. Snaden’s dialogue driven scenes were profoundly charged in believability of the moment. Sometimes innocent, sometimes raw, I never once lost focus as these two skilful performers were in beautifully timed synchronicity. I especially liked how Annie appears periodically from the house and conducts genuine conversations with Jon. It felt as if I was eavesdropping on their conversation which intrigued me even more to hear what these two would say to each other.
FINAL COMMENTS: ‘Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes’ is a text which begs to be discussed upon the curtain coming down. I do hope there are some talkbacks after certain performances as I’m sure they would prove most enlightening.
See this one.
Production runs 80 minutes with no intermission.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT OF THE MIDDLE CLASSES
Runs to February 2, 2020 at Tarragon Theatre’s Mainspace, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto. For tickets, call 1-416-531-1827 or visit www.tarragontheatre.com for further information.
Written by Hannah Moscovitch; Directed by Sarah Garton Stanley; Set and Costume Design by Michael Gianfrancesco; Lighting Design by Bonnie Beecher; Sound Design by Miquelon Rodriguez; Video Design by Laura Warren; Dramaturg by Joanna Falck; Intimacy Coach by Siobhan Richardson; Stage Manager: Daniel Oulton;
Cast: Matthew Edison as Jon and Alice Snaden as Annie
Production Photo courtesy of Joy von Tiedemann.