(Non)Fiction

I've been to the Athenaeum theater only once before for a play titled 'The Dark at the Top of the Stairs' (a play by William Inge) -- the interesting plot was surpassed by stellar acting. On a whim we decided to see a play on Saturday - (Non)Fiction, booking the tickets on Saturday afternoon -- I've rarely seen the smaller theaters packed to the brim in the way you see at the Goodmans and Steppenwolfs of the city.

Spoiler alert if you are planning to watch the play! 

What we knew before walking in: this was the story a couple where Stephanie, is a writer, and is working on her debut novel, whose draft she resolutely refuses to show to Mike, her partner. What we as the audience already know is that the book is about Mike's life in a cult and his escape (along with Emma, his cousin). There is no doubt in my mind that there was a side to take and it was not Stephanie's.

The set was minimal and the transitions between scenes smooth, including the removing of the remnants of a wine and Twinkies scene. Stephanie's agent/publisher person enacted the expected douchebag role -- I have no complaints there, we have all encountered this douchehat before. The play has no intermission and ran for ninety minutes.

In the beginning, we witness how Stephanie is writing with the compulsion of those who must write and Mike is a supportive partner of the kind more believable on set than real life. This is where the play failed me a little -- the acting. The scenes were mildly cringe-y because of what felt like overacting; it was hard to believe we were watching a couple at home. No, we were watching a couple who knew they were being watched.

Stephanie's novel gets accepted by a big publishing house, she decides to share with Mike the novel once it's almost ready to print. Understandably and predictably, he is distraught and asks her to choose between him and the book. Stephanie seems to be blinded by the thrill of her first book, brushing aside Mike's worry about being found out by the cult's leader. She talks about how she had to write this story, forgetting that this is not her story to tell. That's not a new theme if you've ever been witness to any sort of Columbusing.

The cult's leader sends a note to Mike and Emma, which makes them realize they must leave the city and go into hiding. Between all of this, Mike while mad at Stephanie, still loves her and struggles to leave. But leave he does and off she goes for a book launch, hopefully haunted by the choice she made.


The plot is excellent, the actress who played Emma brilliant. The lead cast, while very talented, did not bring the roles of Mike and Stephanie to life in a way that I would recommend this play to anyone even though I do not regret going to this at all.