I got the chance to see Becky’s New Car this past Tuesday. Interpreting this play as a parable about middle age and materialism misses the larger themes. Yes, there were a couple of gimmicks that fell flat. Dietz’s “meta-flourishes” were at times distracting.

However, the type of desperation that the routine and familiar sometimes engender is something I suspect we all feel. Having quite literally walked away from everything and everyone I ever knew weeks ago to come to Portland, I, for one, can identify with the type of escapism felt by the title character. In short, the play’s definitely worth seeing, even for us twenty-somethings.