The title of this new play by Kenneth Paul Drews and Dan Filowitz comes from a poem by famously dyspeptic English poet Philip Larkin. So it’s surprising that the play itself is such a sweet, unassuming affair. It’s also far too long for its strengths to shine–Drews’s staging for Disciples of Clyde Productions often feels like a long-form improv inspired by Deborah Tannen’s books on miscommunication between the sexes. There are touching moments between low-key attorney Ben (a winning Eric Rampson) and his smart but insecure girlfriend (a beguiling Britney Barber). But the lengthy first act, which also includes Ben’s father, callow brother, and the brother’s put-upon girlfriend, proves a prologue without payoff. –Kerry Reid a Through 2/10: Fri-Sat 8 PM, Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield, 773-680-9736, $15.
