A play about a substitute teacher named Greg, who is trying to figure out just who he is; a 30-something coming-of-age story. Married and separated early in life with a dead-end job, he has now returned from university; full of wonder having read some books. Greg is vey much the modern archetype of the 'nice guy who finishes last'; he doesn't want to offend or upset anyone, desperate to please in all his relationships.
I really cannot begin to stress how annoying he is.
He strings along his ex-wife, and current girlfriend, and his former best-bud. He gets a '100 books to read before you die' book out at every opportunity; the world is Greg's coffee shop to be seen reading worthy books in. He is just so cloyingly needy, passively patronising, self-centred and spineless.
Reasons to be Happy looked like a play about four individuals, two couples, whose lives are intertwined and complex. But is just about this one, whiny guy; and these three stupid bimbos (including one him-bo) that he has to dumb himself down for. Oh poor, clever, special snowflake.
If this play is autobiographical, then writer Neil LaBute hates women: they shriek; hysterically in public, and are stupid; not having heard of Brown University (which is just down the road), and manipulative; using the threat of abortion as a tool of control.
He also hates muscular men who get the chicks, represented here by Kent; an uneducated meathead, in the same dead end job that Greg escaped by reading a John Steinbeck novel.
Eventually, having fully condescended to the three people in his life, Greg leaves for New York; leaving behind a guidebook to New York (not a novel, not for these dumb-dumbs), so they know to come chase after him in NEW YORK; if they would only read the BOOK he deigned to bestow upon them.
Reasons to be Happy: an awful sitcom, that is apparently given some level of credibility just by being on stage. A red-pill menimist's comments board rant, brought to life with some dodgy American accents.
1 out of 5 stars.
Greg does get punched and slapped, so that's a reason to be happy.
It isn't the actors' faults, they did all they could.
Greg puts me in mind of Ted Mosby from How I met your Mother (actually a good sitcom, with an awful lead character).
God I hate you, Ted Mosby.
Exploring every facet of a whiny asshole; and winding up with no character progression, right where you started off: a Mösbius strip.
Bonus review.
How I met your Mother without Ted Mosby, or when bad things are happening to him: 4 stars.
How I met your Mother with Ted Mosby: 2 Stars.
