Sometimes, you go to the theater to be shocked. Sometimes you go to laugh, or to cry. But there are those times when you go to watch real people work through real problems, and you realize that sometimes seeing a slice of real life is just as powerful as watching a metaphorical masterpiece. That’s the intent of the English play Harper Regan, the story of a woman struggling with the kinds of pressures that all of us have to face. Eight Forty Eight’s dueling critics Jonathan Abarbanel and Kelly Kleiman tell us if Harper’s American debut hits the mark.

On stage:
Harper Regan
Through March 28
Steep Theatre

Kelly’s Picks:
Jeeves in Bloom
Runs through Feb. 28
First Folio Theatre

Awake and Sing
Through Feb. 28
Northlight Theatre

Music Button:  Led Zeppelin, “Hats Off To (Roy) Harper”, from the CD III, (Atlantic)