Affluenza!
Like Moliere, Sherman comments not only on the stupidity and cupidity of his characters but also on their corrupted milieu: the setting may be a Lake Shore Drive high-rise the day before yesterday (or the day after tomorrow), but the greedy look much the same as they did three and a half centuries ago in France. And like Moliere, Sherman also makes larger political and cultural points. When Jerome defends his disdain for work, he points to the fine example of our current president, providing details about the Texas Rangers and Harkin Oil. The playwright also has fun with the contemporary apotheosis of acquisitiveness, addiction to eBay. Jerome–whose credo is “You’re born alone, you die alone / But while you live, you’re what you own”–spends his time visiting auction sites, purchasing a platinum Slinky, a trumpet he can’t play, and even a virtual weapon for a computer game. Ruth hopes to get $300,000 for plastic surgery from her ex, which comes in for its fair share of comment, as does the false solicitousness of those who claim their servants are just like family: when Ruth thoughtfully asks Bernard how his mother is, he replies that she’s been dead for ten years.
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But these are quibbles about an entertaining, well-constructed evening providing some food for thought. Go ahead: eat, enjoy!
