O.P.C. at A.R.T.

The first thing you notice upon entering the theater for American Repertory's latest production is that the usher doesn't hand you a program. The next thing you notice is that the set is a looming collage of recycled trash. Eve Ensler's new play, O.P.C. (obsessive political correctness), is about the ravages of consumerism. The character Romi is so crippled by environmental anxiety that she drops out of Harvard and becomes a scavenging squatter, much to the dismay of her mother, who is running for U.S. Senate. The opening scene between the two makes it clear that what lies ahead is two hours of proselytizing.

The play is billed as a comedy, and some people were amused by the social satire and political cynicism, but I would have been more entertained by subtler treatment. Ensler is adept at character studies that draw us into a person, giving us a window to their outlook on the world. That empathy was missing in O.P.C.; the playwright opted for preachy activism.

The most provocative idea was the absence of a printed playbill. At intermission you could find a few ring binders with the cast list and production notes; the list of show sponsors was written in soap on the lobby windows. It will be interesting to see if A.R.T. continues to go paperless for all future productions. They would need to take it a step further, placing scan codes around the entrances (or on the tickets) to point mobile devices to a virtual program, with pop-up ads to satisfy underwriters. A downside would be the distraction of the audience lighting up screens during a performance to see who's who.

Romi's ultimate objective was the protection of endangered species. I had to applaud A.R.T. for saving several trees and repurposing thousands of plastic bottles.