Well Scrubbed
The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl (I seem to be seeing a lot of her) played at the Performance Network Theatre in Ann Arbor this week. While not as linguistically complex or daring as her one-act Euridice, the script gives director David Wolber and designer Monika Essen a chance to shine. The whole work is really not at all about the what, and totally about the how. The premise is as simple as it is odd: Brazilian maid for two married doctors decides her gifts lie with comedy instead of cleaning, she-doctor’s sister takes over cleaning to assuage her OCD, he-doctor leaves for an older woman, older woman dies of cancer and everybody reconciles. Sort of a conflicted romp through post-feminism with a lot of flashbacks.
It’s the little things of execution that make it interesting. First are the props: the whole piece is punctuated throughout with text. Text on the back of furniture, text on costumes, text projected on the back wall, text jumping down on signs from the fly and back up, and a whole extended scene with live subtitles (kudos for the guy running the slide projector.) It’s running commentary that helps leven the mood of what could have easily become fodder for the Lifetime Channel. Knowing when and how to whip out the written commentary displays a mastery of planning and the best disciplined crew I’ve seen in one of these houses with uncomfortable seats. There are masterful blocking touches as well. Things occur in concurrent time in different settings, and there is well managed interaction between the two – down to the catching of an apple that either results from countless practice or natural talent that the cross-town Tigers could use. Flowing from character to character makes for a much richer experience and helps the story immeasurably.
Not that the director and crew deserve all of the credit. Barb Coven’s “Lane” (of apple-catching fame) is the strongest of the cast; she plays the wronged surgeon with an amazing restraint – inhabiting the character will a full pathos that never succumbs to the temptations of the yelling-and-screaming school. In this hospital-heavy town it almost seems like eavesdropping. The rest of the cast is solid, steering the middle path between silly and pathetic with admirable dexterity. The only issues to note are periodic breakdowns in pacing during the odd flashback / imagination scenes that probably could have been cut down or done without.
Of course, lest you forget you’re in Michigan, the company makes sure to plaster their union memberships in forty places in the playbill.
Ah, text.
It’s the little things of execution that make it interesting. First are the props: the whole piece is punctuated throughout with text. Text on the back of furniture, text on costumes, text projected on the back wall, text jumping down on signs from the fly and back up, and a whole extended scene with live subtitles (kudos for the guy running the slide projector.) It’s running commentary that helps leven the mood of what could have easily become fodder for the Lifetime Channel. Knowing when and how to whip out the written commentary displays a mastery of planning and the best disciplined crew I’ve seen in one of these houses with uncomfortable seats. There are masterful blocking touches as well. Things occur in concurrent time in different settings, and there is well managed interaction between the two – down to the catching of an apple that either results from countless practice or natural talent that the cross-town Tigers could use. Flowing from character to character makes for a much richer experience and helps the story immeasurably.
Not that the director and crew deserve all of the credit. Barb Coven’s “Lane” (of apple-catching fame) is the strongest of the cast; she plays the wronged surgeon with an amazing restraint – inhabiting the character will a full pathos that never succumbs to the temptations of the yelling-and-screaming school. In this hospital-heavy town it almost seems like eavesdropping. The rest of the cast is solid, steering the middle path between silly and pathetic with admirable dexterity. The only issues to note are periodic breakdowns in pacing during the odd flashback / imagination scenes that probably could have been cut down or done without.
Of course, lest you forget you’re in Michigan, the company makes sure to plaster their union memberships in forty places in the playbill.
Ah, text.
posted by KP | 1.10.07
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