Review: WET's Creepy and Sometimes Confusing THE THINGS ARE AGAINST US

Most often when you go see a play there is a very plain narrative, a beginning, a middle and an end to convey your story. Some plays out there, however, make you work a little harder either with non-linear structure or an existential bent. And then there are some plays that go so far that you walk out of them thinking "What the hell did I just see?" Well Washington Ensemble Theatre's creepy and surreal "The Things Are Against Us", currently playing at 12th Avenue Arts, is firmly footed in that second camp but often dipped its toe into the third which resulted in a show that was creepy and fun but left my theater companion and me with a car ride home filled with statements like, "Well, I think this is what happened."

Let me see if I can explain what went on as best I understand it. Sisters Tessa and Solange (Allison Standley and Samie Spring Detzer) inherit an old house up in Massachusetts. Tessa ventures up to the house to try and make something of it and meets a hunky lumberjack (Robert Bergin), while Solange stays back in New York and tries to recover from getting dumped by her cheating boyfriend Carlo (Ian Bond). Meanwhile Yusef (Jeffrey Azevedo) inherits some old clothes from his Grandfather prompting him to travel from Lebanon to New York to try and see the city the way his Grandfather did in his youth. But after putting on the clothes Yusef begins to see visions of a relationship his Grandfather had with poet Federico Garcia Lorca (Jany Bacallao) while back at the house Tessa begins to regress further and further into the past of the house as it takes her over. Eventually the paths of all of them cross which results in a haunting meeting that recreates a tragic moment from the past and threatens to destroy everyone.

It's part romantic comedy, part memory play and part existential ghost story. This sounds like it could be fun and it is but Susan Soon He Stanton's play often times goes into the bizarre and introspective so much that you lose the story. Director Bobbin Ramsey does an admirable job attempting to get across the story amidst the chaos and weird but at times she too falls into the trap of going overboard with the creep factor at the expense of the narrative.

The cast manages some wonderful moments in the piece. Detzer is funny and quirky which works for the character but occasionally gets out of hand leading to a lack of focus. Bond manages multiple roles including her slime ball jerk of a boyfriend well. Bergin manages to convey tons with very little to say throughout the play and is hilariously sexy while doing it. And Azevedo is sweet and inquisitive as both Yusef and his Grandfather but could have used some more levels to his performance. But the standouts of the show had to be Standley and Bacallao. Standley's decent into madness is only matched by her hysterical comedic moments as she switches back and forth between rational modern woman and melodramatic pioneer woman. And Bacallao turns in a confident and forceful Lorca giving him a sultry and engaging air. A part which could have easily been long winded became a wonderfully poetic through line of the play.

So when all was said and done with the show it managed its comedy and creep factor well but lacked some of the narrative needed for a coherent story. And so with my three letter rating system I give Washington Ensemble Theatre's "The Things Are Against Us" a creepy and amused but slightly confused MEH+. I don't completely need a narrative spelled out for me but I shouldn't leave more confused than when I came in.

"The Things Are Against Us" from Washington Ensemble Theatre performs at 12th Avenue Arts through May 16th. For tickets or information visit them online at www.washingtonensemble.org.

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