Yet, the play’s early boringness is precisely what will turn some attendees away. The play’s creators, who do not include a director, underestimate just how adept an audience is at zoning out. Some critics in Chicago called the play nearly flawless, but in order for a play to be perfect, I don’t think it can by its very nature induce its audience to engage in exactly the kind of activity (or inactivity) it purports to oppose. If the play fails with a much less intellectual and insular New York audience than it had in Chicago—and the show I attended had multiple empty seats—it will be because of its creators’ hubris.
That doesn’t discount the fact that The Strangerer, which takes its name and inspiration from Bush’s brief encounter with Camus two summers ago, remains one of the better existential comedies of recent memory. The debate on the method of murder is undeniably farcical, and features props of switchblades, guns, kerosene, cyanide, a pillow, and a Balinese kris meant for ritualistic murder. But the play is rife with contradictions inherent in theater, not to mention in general human existence. What is the value of excessive, unapologetic performance, and what gets lost under the guise of maintaining an air of mystery? Is it worth living a boring, neutral life? How can an act that is horrifically destructive be considered entertaining?
Questions like these abound in The Strangerer, and the play answers none of them. Its ingenuity is virtually unparalleled in today’s mainstream New York theater. The question is whether Theatre Oobleck’s faith in its audience pays off.
Through August 2. The Strangerer was written by Micky Maher. It stars Maher (Kerry), Guy Massey (Bush) and rotates Colm O'Reilly and Brian Shaw (Lehrer). Set design by Maher. Lighting Design by Martha Bayne. Sound Design by Chris Schoen. Tickets can be purchased at Telecharge. The play runs 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission.
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