Review: TINY HOUSE at Westport Country Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse opened its 90th season with a streamed production of Michael Gotch's Tiny House, about a couple who leave the chaos of the world to live in the woods and off the grid in a tiny, ecofriendly house.

Nick (Denver Milord) and Sam (Sara Bues) have invited her mother Billie (Elizabeth Heflin) and uncle Larry (Lee E. Ernst) and their neighbors Win (Stephen Pelinski) and Carol (Kathleen Pirkl-Tague) for the Fourth of July weekend. It's a hodge-podge of personalities. Nick has an attitude of superiority about their lifestyle. Sam is a blogger who is trying to run away from her notorious father. Billie is the former wife of a man convicted of a Ponzi scheme. Larry, her former brother-in-law, is a nerdy high school science teacher. Win and Carol are former Renaissance Faire players who can't give up their hippie lifestyle. Also in the play is Bernard (Hassan El-Amin), a neighbor who hunts and proclaims doom.

Although the play is wonderfully directed by Mark Lamos, it takes some adjusting to watch a streamed performance of a play. The set is a combination of Charlie Corcoran's digital scenic design and photography by Lacey Ebb and edited by Dan Scully. It is beautiful, but it mostly looks two dimensional. They did the best they could under the cloud of COVID. It would be interesting to see the play just filmed with a conventional set, as were several British productions under the banner of Classic Theatre some 40 years ago. The actors all give strong performances and were cast credibly.

The play was originally produced as Minor Fantastical Kingdoms at the Resident Ensemble Players of the University of Delaware. The character of Bernard is superfluous and without him, the one hour and 45- minute play could be tighter.

Stream Tiny House from www.tickets.westportplayhouse.org or call (203) 227-4177.

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