A Future Perfect

Playwright Ken Urban may be onto something. His world premiere play "A Future Perfect," currently being presented by Speakeasy Stage, has created a Gen X living room drama that doesn't rely on condescension and irony to convey the complexities faced by this generation.

That is not to say the play is perfect, or even trying to find a new form. It still stays within the comfort of a male dominant, white centric, middle class, heteronormative story. Two couples in Brooklyn discover their friendship tested by the announcement that one of them will be having a baby.

Traditionally, this seems like standard fare for a living room drama. One only has to watch any number of current television shows or Judd Apatow movies to experience it. However, Mr. Urban does not work to make the situation funny - these people seem honestly conflicted by the problems faced as they enter adulthood.

Humor is a part of it. Any play that tries to show average people getting by day-to-day has humor. But, Mr. Urban allows the characters to speak for themselves. And without the additional commentary that has come to be expected when portraying Gen X. As those of us in this generation age, many of us are in our 40s now, it has become harder to find portrayals with which we can identify.

Much of the success is director M. Bevin O'Gara's handling of this very talented ensemble. There are moments where the pacing seems to suffer a bit. But this is generally due to the pre-requisite music used throughout. (Of course there is music, it is a Gen X play.) But the selections by sound designer Nathan Leigh at times seem to bring the show to a halt instead of carrying the momentum forward.

The central couple of Claire and Max, played by Marianna Bassham and Brain Hastert, provide a solid base for the show. Ms. Bassham as Claire, "the ballbuster," portrays a confident young career woman with ease. While at times her performance may come across as a bit one note, it's a logical choice given her single-mindedness on her career.

Mr. Hastert is an excellent foil to Ms. Bassham and manages to give us a Max that never enters in the slacker stereotype. Not an easy feat considering the character is a former band musician that now creates puppet shows on veterans' issues for PBS. Although his guitar playing is a bit anemic and often seems to be an afterthought used to remind us that he was once a rocker.

As the second couple Alex and Elena, Nael Nacer and Chelsea Diehl, communicate most of their characters by what is not being said. It's obvious that something is going on in their lives and relationship, but we only get snippets of it. There is a subtlety to their performances that helps to ground the production and keep it out of the realm of TV sitcom.

The introduction of the young girl, Uatchet Jin Juch as Annabelle, is a rather uninspired devise to illustrate the potential parenting styles of Claire and Max. Ms. Jin Juch's performance is spot on, but the entire scene could be eliminated without affecting the plot.

The politics addressed in the play may seem a bit obvious, yet they are things we a still discussing. Set in 2011 during the Occupy movement, the characters are armchair liberals expressing support for various causes yet not doing anything about it. As Claire states early in the play, "...we don't camp in a park. Make signs. Get arrested. We just don't."

It's a telling statement. And a very true one for those of us that are part of Gen X. That is part of the success of this play. In these characters, Mr. Urban has captured many of the contradictions that define our generation.

"A Future Perfect" continues through February 7, 2015 at the Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. For more information visit the SpeakEasy Stage website.