'Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes' Off-Broadway review — Hugh Jackman and Ella Beatty lead an intimate play
Read our review of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes off Broadway, a new drama by Hannah Moscovitch starring Hugh Jackman and Ella Beatty.
"Learning is a seduction," college professor and author Jon (Hugh Jackman) says to us, like we're attendees of his lecture hall, at Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes. Conspiratorially, he then adds, "That was the sort of thing you couldn't say out loud without getting fired."
That comment is arguably not the thing that would put Jon's career on the line. Playwright Hannah Moscovitch, ostensibly writing from experience, demonstrates that the opposite statement is also true: a seduction is learning. Nineteen-year-old student Annie (Ella Beatty), learns this when she and Jon, her professor, pursue a forbidden affair that pushes her over the edge of maturity.
Jon narrates the story in third person, a device that both evidences his control of the narrative — he's distancing himself from his actions and painting events as he chooses to recall them — and his lack thereof — he speaks in great detail of himself, but never exactly for himself.
We learn much less about Annie; though we can infer she is, in some ways even before the affair, a perceptive and intelligent young woman beyond her years, she's little more than objectified in Jon's telling. Her obscurity is later suggested to reflect how she felt inactive throughout the whole affair and still can't quite articulate her complex feelings about it. "It felt like it happened through your point of view," Annie tells Jon.
Beatty is sufficiently nondescript as Annie, and Jackman is the perfect choice for Jon — self-effacing and self-aware, his megawatt charm hooks us on Jon's every dubious word. Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes is clever in its casting and narrative style, but at the same time, the text is written like a syllabus, right down to the academic title. The play directly states its every objective and theme — an approach that risks heavy-handedness in a dramatic format, especially by the meta ending. And yet, the intended takeaway from it all is unclear, so the experience of the play emerges as neutral — neither entirely obscure nor illuminating, neither charged enough nor too soft for its subject matter. It simply is.
Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes summary
Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes centers on Jon — a successful author and professor, but less successful husband with three failed marriages under his belt — and Annie, his lonely, admiring 19-year-old student and an aspiring writer. They begin an affair that marks a turning point in both their lives, and they still find themselves connected in certain ways long after the relationship ends.
The play premiered in Ontario, Canada, in 2020 and won the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for English-language drama in that country.
What to expect at Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes
Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes is one of two shows currently playing in repertory at the Minetta Lane Theatre, running on alternating days with a new adaptation of August Strindberg's 1889 play Creditors through June 18. The unique venture devised by Together, a new theatre company presenting minimalist productions where the focus is on the storytelling.
Ian Rickson is artistic director, and Jackman and veteran theatre producer Sonia Friedman are co-founders. Sexual Misconduct and Creditors, Together's inaugural productions, share a creative team — director Rickson alongside the set, costume, lighting, and sound designers. The two plays also share themes of seduction, power, and indisrection.
What audiences are saying about Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes
Theatregoers are generally responding positively to Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, with the show earning an 91% approval rating on the audience review aggregator Show-Score, compiled from 35 reviews, as of writing.
- "The play is solid but lacks a sense of danger [...] Chemistry felt more father/daughter and that works at first -- but it never got sexual. Still, two incredibly charismatic and talented actors (perhaps slightly miscast?) and a very enjoyable play to watch. Jackman's way of engaging with the audience is brilliant."
- "A simple set serves the mostly monologue well. A quick 80 minutes. Super!" - Show-Score user JoeyFranko
- "This play could have been incredible [sic] impactful if not for the play's direction. It could have explored the emotional journey and motivations of the character Annie but she's presented two dimensionally used only to move the show to its intended plot twist. But when the show's big twist comes it's a knock-out punch that barely lands. Ella Beatty rises above the production." - Show-Score user Ray S
Read more audience reviews of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes on Show-Score.
Who should see Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes
- In the words of my +1, "This is probably the closest I'll ever get to Hugh Jackman." His fans will appreciate the chance to see his talent in an intimate space. Since he directly addresses the audience throughout the show, you might even make eye contact.
- People whose preferred media includes audiobooks and podcasts will appreciate the simple narrative style of this play. It is a co-production of Audible Theater, so the show will eventually live as an audio drama on the platform.
- People interested in media that tackles the #MeToo movement and its impact on young women, including the current Broadway play John Proctor Is the Villain, may want to see Sexual Misconduct's take on the topic.
Learn more about Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes off Broadway
Arguably the greatest draw of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes is Jackman's engrossing, effortless performance you'll hate to love.
Photo credit: Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes off Broadway. (Photos by Emilio Madrid)
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