Underachievement defines Playwright Local’s ambitious ‘Things As They Are’ Bob Abelman Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal Member, International Association of Theatre Critics In a recent New Yorker magazine expose on the life and work of Wallace Stevens, he is described as “the quintessential American poet of the twentieth century, a doubting idealist who invested slight subjects (the weather, often) with oracular gravitas, and grand ones (death, frequently) with capering humor.” He was also an introvert in a three-piece suit, working as a Hartford insurance legal executive. Both sides of Stevens are explored in David Todd’s very ambitious play “Things As They Are,” which is receiving its world premiere production at Playwrights Local, a theater company dedicated to giving voice to local dramatists. But by attempting to introduce some audience members to Stevens’ work while simultaneously catering to the formidable and fanatical knowledge base of others, “Things As They Are” is often a confusing, confounding and context-less array of images and information. For more of this article, go to www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/.