A series of five very short plays penned by American playwright Will Eno, Oh, the Humanity and Other Good Intentions is a collection of character-driven glimpses into the human condition. There is no overriding structure to the show as such; instead, the individual segments are loosely connected through their preoccupation with the humour and tragedy of being alive. This approach will no doubt prove divisive, but for those prepared to battle through its non-narrative structure this is a production with plenty to offer.
All of the plays are superbly acted, with stuttering, neurotic performances that manage to capture a rare honesty while also packing a considerable emotional punch. There is plenty of humour dwelling in the often tragic subject matter, but it is a dark, dry humour of the kind you might hear at funerals, where any kind of laughter is preferable to the crushing reality life sometimes presents.
Many of the plays are touching monologues incorporating the audience, initially as members of the media at a press conference and later in a variety of roles, such as subjects in a re-enacted photograph. Some are decidedly more powerful than others: the re-enacted photograph, for example, seems aimless and slightly limp in comparison with the rest of the pieces. The appearance of a character representing ‘The Beauty of Things’ in a later play, meanwhile, might be a self-consciously modernist push too far for more sceptical members of the audience.
The stage direction from Erica Whyman is sublime, with the sparse set made up almost entirely of illuminated back panels that open and close allowing quick, smooth entry and exit points for the actors and their limited props. This is not a play that needs to rely on explosive effects or stage trickery; indeed, its simplicity only adds to the central performances and the potent, intensely moving script.
If you can forgive its eccentricities, Oh, the Humanity and Other Good Intentions is an extremely rewarding piece of theatre featuring uniformly good performances and thought-provoking subject matter. As a showcase for humanity it’s an outwardly bleak vision hiding a warm heart underneath; it might deal with tragic situations and characters driven to the edge, but its portrayals are sensitive and its humour sincere. If this is humanity, then it is indeed full of the best intentions.
