Ted Zoldan and Justin Gillman Photo by Jay Yamada

Middletown opens, like Our Town, with a droll, all-embracing prologue delivered by Malcolm Rodgers with articulate gusto ("Middletown, Population: stable. Elevation: same. The main street is called Main Street. The side streets are named after trees. Things are fairly predictable. People come, people go."). Suddenly, a strange mechanic with a monotone voice comes onto the stage speaking nonsense. You get the idea he is not right in the head. He is senselessly attacked by a policeman for no apparent reason. This is followed by a whole line-up of other inhabitants of Middletown who include divorced handyman John, newcomer to town Mary, an apathetic tour guide, a librarian, tourists, and a landscaper who plants trees.

Middletown is a series of seamless vignettes, thanks to the direction of Brian Katz. The play centers on Mary and John's relationship, especially in the second act, and also on the troubled Mechanic who does not have a name. The first act of Middletown is a masterpiece and the second act is a good play with some great moments. The two hour, two act drama is a subtle, poignant, and cynical walk to nowhere.

The large cast does excellent work, especially Justin Gillman as the Mechanic. He gives an outstanding performance with his monotonic babble. Cary Cronholm Rose as Mary and Fred Pitts as John are excellent in their roles. The conversations between them are pitch perfect. Jean Forsman gives a beautiful performance as the Librarian while Ted Zoldan is engaging as the Cop. Malcolm Rodgers gives a splendid presentation as the narrator, astronaut, and a doctor. Also excellent in various roles are Ashley Cowan, Gabriella Jarvie, Catherine "Cat" Luedtke, Rowan Rivers, Leah S. Abrams, and Jessica Jade Rudholm.

Will Eno places emphasis more on the language than on shared sensory proficiencies. He is an absurdist with a contemporary awareness.

Middletown runs through April 23rd, 2016, at the Custom Made Theatre Co., 540 Sutter Street, Second Floor, San Francisco. Coming up next is John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation opening on May 19th. For tickets, visit www.custommade.org or call 415-798-2682.