BWW Reviews: Trinity Gets its HOUSE in Order With Unique Theatrical Event

It's not every day that a playwright can come up with something completely unique or different. But, if Alan Ayckbourn hasn't accomplished an entirely unique feat with his plays House & Garden, then he's at least done something pretty rare. You see, House & Garden are designed to be performed together, at the same time, by the same cast, in adjoining spaces. They involve the same characters, in one way or another, and deal with stories that intersect in numerous ways. The trick is to make each one of them a high-quality play that stands on it own, and in that regard, House, the first one to open at Trinity Repertory Company, is not entirely successful.

House is set, of course, in a house, specifically a large country estate. It is inhabited by Teddy and Trish Platt, their teenage daughter and a few servants. Teddy and Trish are having some marriage difficulties, caused largely by Teddy's infidelity, among other long-standing problems. On the day in question, Teddy is having a group of important people over for lunch, including an old friend who may be asking him to run for high political office.

That summary doesn't do justice to just how much is going on in this play. There are many subplots and storylines, most of which are less than relevant and hardly necessary. There's a famous French actress, a lovesick teenage boy, a sleazy politician who may have a thing for little girls, and some kind of problem concerning the crazy cook and even crazier maid. Few of these get fleshed out, they just kind of pop up, take over the stage for a few minutes and disappear. It makes the whole play seem very disjointed and may have the audience wondering what the play is actually about. Unfortunately, it takes so long to get anywhere, with a long, slow journey through the first parts of the play, that the audience may not care anymore by the time they get to the good parts.

Of course, it may all be solved by seeing Garden, the other half of this theatrical pair. Much of what happens in House does seem to occur only to fill time while something else is happening in the other play. There are scenes between two or three actors that seem like place holders, while the rest of the cast runs to the other stage to do something important over there.

Having said all that, Ayckbourn does throw in plenty of hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments in a play that borders on farce. It might have been better if he had just gone all the way and made it an all-out farce, rather than trying to add in seriousness and dramatic weight. In the final moments, when an actor finally makes an attempt at emotional depth, and maybe delivers what the entire play was supposed to mean to us, it just feels tacked-on and fake.

Since this play is in the hands of Trinity, all of that might not even mean much. The resident Acting Company is a brilliantly talented group, there is no argument there, and by their powers combined they can do just about anything. In this case, they successfully pull off both plays, one in the upstairs theater, the other downstairs, at the same time, running back and forth between scenes. And they don't seem to break a sweat.

As far as House goes, Anne Scurria, as Trish Platt, and FrEd Sullivan, Jr., as her husband Teddy, are the primary players, and both are as wonderful as always. Scurria's moments as a wife who refuses to even acknowledge her husband's existence are perfect and hilarious. Sullivan is also perfectly exasperated as a man caught up in circumstances beyond his control but also of his own making. Bridget Saracino is fantastic as their politically aware and angst-ridden daughter, and Joe Wilson Jr. gives another of his consistently strong performances as Teddy's old chum and potential political ally.

Technically, the show seems nearly flawless, a credit to the Trinity's ability to pull of this simultaneous double-bill. The only major problem was an ill-advised set design choice. There's a dining room upstage, with double doors opening into the living room, the main playing space. Unfortunately, the walls of the dining room block much of the audience from seeing what is happening inside. As was the case where I was sitting, it's impossible to see what's going on in there and impossible to know what the rest of the audience is laughing so loudly about. Reviewer or not, every audience member should get to see and enjoy the same show.

Leaving the theater after House, two feelings were clear. One was a bit of disappointment that the play didn't stand up on its own as well as it should have. The other was an excited anticipation of seeing Garden, the other half of this unique theatrical experience.

House is playing in the Chace Theatre (upstairs) May 16th to June 30th. Regular and discounted tickets are on sale at the Trinity Rep box office, 201 Washington St.; by phone at (401) 351-
4242; and online at www.trinityrep.com.

Pictured: Bridget Saracino and Joe Wilson, Jr. Photo by Mark Turek.

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