Review: ‘Alone Together’ at Main Street Theatre Works

It’s 1985. Helene (Julie Anchor) and George Butler (Allen Pontes) have just sent their youngest son out into the world. After 40 years of child-rearing, the two are ready to finally enjoy the peace and quiet. That is, until their two older sons move back in, unannounced.

Main Street Theatre Works presents Alone Together by Lawrence Roman, and despite excellent performances by the entire cast, one can’t help but question the relevance of a comedy like this in today’s economic landscape.

The sons are caricatures, entitled and oblivious to the fact that they’re trespassing on private property. Helene and George, intent on pushing them back out, can’t seem to figure out why their children can’t take care of themselves. It’s a very ’80s sitcom-y perspective, one that doesn’t account for the fact that many of today’s millennials are living with parents due to stagnant wages and a rising cost of living.

In a world where commentators such as Ben Shapiro purport that working multiple jobs to make ends meet is a “you problem,” it seems pretty careless to put on a production that plays into the up-by-the-bootstraps ideology of the Reagan Era without providing any context for the raw economic deal younger generations have inherited.

Like so many ’80s sitcoms, Alone Together suffers less from entitled children, and more from a myopic view of how the world actually works.