Review: WINTER SOLSTICE at Rec Room Arts

In Germany, playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig is considered as popular and omnipresent as Neil Simon here in the States. That said, hardly anyone in the U.S. would know this author unless they are theater aficionados with an international sense about them. WINTER SOLSTICE is a work that dates back to 2017, a time before the COVID pandemic when conservatism was rising again ferociously in Europe (spoiler alert - still is happening!). The author wrote this dark piece about a liberal couple whose mother invites a conservative stranger into their house on Christmas Eve to show how easily fascism marches in politely and with charm. It’s a tense and moody winter tale and warns of the ineffectiveness of the left when faced with the right’s ability to make folks nostalgic for times long gone. It’s perfect for this time of year and certainly pointed in our current political climate of 2024. Rec Room Arts rarely ever plays anything safe, and the holidays are no exception. Here, we have what is bound to be the season’s most insidiously intricate holiday treat for you to consider. 

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If you are looking for the perfect cast, WINTER SOLSTICE is it. The five actors chosen for this project are outstanding choices to represent the characters each brings to life. It is stacked with treasures and veterans of Houston stages and is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the acting firepower on display. Local legend John Dunn (Catastrophic Theatre, Alley Theatre, and Classical Theatre Company) makes his Rec Room debut as Albert, the simpering liberal father who, as a writer, literally wrote the book on fascism. He is a torturously effective choice for the ineffective literary patriarch of the host family. The luminous Adina Opalek (Dirt Dogs, On the Verge, and Cone Man Running) plays his gorgeous wife, who is a filmmaker and a perfect match for John’s liberal author. Iconic Susan Koozin (Alley Theatre, TUTS, Stages, any theatre in Houston!)  looks amazing as Corrinna, Bettina's mother, and she is the one who lets the wrong person in for the evening. That person is played by the stunning Spencer Plachy (tour of THE LION KING, Main Street Theatre, and Classical Theatre Company), who portrays the insidious Rudolph, a dashing, charismatic gentleman who seems to be from a different time and mindset. His role is perfection for someone just jumping off of Dracula earlier this season. Rounding out the cast, charismatic Alan Brincks (Alley Theatre, Houston Shakespeare Festival, AD Players) portrays Konrad, the painter, who also takes on a lot of the descriptive narration in the first part of the show. This ensemble as a whole is immaculate, and you will be hard-pressed to find a more accomplished troop in this or any city. Each one delivers a tour de force performance, and they shred the lines with precision and collective wisdom. 

WINTER SOLSTICE is traditionally presented stripped down, often set in a stark rehearsal room without scenic design or tangible props. Sometimes, there are cast members whose sole purpose is to read the stage directions to illuminate what is happening, but here, director Bradley Michalakis has strayed from this bare-bones concept. Scenic designer Stefan Azizi creates what suggests a well-appointed apartment with knick-knacks and real wine glasses and plates strewn about for the dinner party. The stage is sometimes a hall, and other times a large dining table as needed. Actor Alan Brincks handles most of the description in the first half, but all the cast members take turns reciting stage directions in this sometimes presentational portrayal. We are half-in and half-out of this world for the entirety of the run time, and that works effectively. I like this approach to the material, and it should suit most audience members who sit on both sides of the action, creating a physical divide even in how we are seated. 

David Tushingham translates this version of WINTER SOLSTICE, and it is pretty well done coming out of the German source material. But I do have some minor quibbles with the work when presented in English. Fascism in Germany is often communicated in subtle cues and ways of looking at the world, and sometimes Rudolph’s more alarming statements are cloaked heavily from our American tradition of needing to be hit over the head with a message. I certainly got the drift of everything when the character bashed Jewish artists, but the “comedy of manners” portion of the evening is hard to decipher entirely. Also, the script runs over two hours without any intermission. It feels far too long and could say what it needs to do more effectively in less time.   I would be tempted to cut twenty to forty minutes for audiences. This time span feels like an eternity when one is trapped in a theatre, but no doubt that is part of what it is trying to achieve as well. 

The piece truly finds faults in both sides of the political spectrum, both left and right. The liberals are too smug and certainly flawed, and they do little to nothing when they realize what is happening. John Dunn’s Albert is sidelined by a pill protocol that leaves everything that happens in question, whether it is drug-induced hallucination or actual real life. But by making this all presentational rather than hyper-reality, are the stakes all that high? For Germans, certainly, that is the case. Fascism maligned their national identity. But for Americans? Will they be sufficiently alarmed by this piece or find it a pleasant dinner conversation on a holiday with sinister undertones? Is it a touch too subtle for audiences here? I would love to see a modern American author take this subject on in much the same way, but could they achieve what WINTER SOLSTICE does with barely a whisper? It is, after all, an internal scream rather than anything external. 

This piece asks a lot of its audience. It is a demanding work that forces the viewer to see more than just what is happening on the surface, always to dig a little deeper. Sometimes, it does things that are all too obvious, such as making Albert and Bettina’s daughter literally invisible to everyone. But then, other times, it barely makes a blip out of what you might think would be a huge plot point. WINTER SOLSTICE, for all of its beauty, can be as equally frustrating. Yet true to Rec Room Arts, the acting is superb, the design is well thought out, the direction is solid, and the theatrical aspects are a cut above almost any house in Houston. It is the most disquieting thing you will see this time of year, and whether you accept that invitation is entirely up to you and perhaps all of your relatives at Christmas dinner this year. I dare you to invite someone and give them no clue what this is about. And then share an uncomfortable glass of wine in the bar area. Reserve a seat in the Rec Room for enigmatic and thought-provoking high art. 

WINTER SOLSTICE runs downtown at the Rec Room Arts space near Minute Maid Park through December 14th. The space has a bar inside that serves cocktails. The run time for this show is slightly over two hours without any intermission. 

Photo provided by Tasha Gorel and features Susan Koozin and Adina Opalek 

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