by Acorn Jones
Theresa Rebeck’s new play Our House at Playwrights Horizons is one of the few plays I’ve seen in recent years to keep me engaged from start to finish. Even in other plays I’ve loved, there are moments where I sit back and am like, “really? You’re doing that?” or am just plain uncomfortable in seats built for those many times smaller than me. (at 6’4”, I find myself lacking leg room, but PH’s seats get an 8/10). Not only did director Michael Mayer’s production keep my attention, but I kind of loved it. It represented my generation (late 20’s-early 30’s) truthfully, not commenting on it, but for once actually playing out our concerns and struggles. Thank god, finally! Theatre is dropping down to our gen and out of the Brustein era! (No offense to the great B!)
Basically we follow two stories. Set in a gorgeous steel and glass executive suite, story one is about Jennifer, a news reporter on the rise (Morena Baccarin, of TV’s Firefly and Stargate SG 1) and her executive boss/lover Wes (Christopher Evan Welch) who is adamant to see her rise continue, despite the cost and regardless of any advice Stu (Stephen Kunken), the head of the news department, can give him.
The second story is set in a living hell of an apartment. (The set was gorgeously designed by Dereck McLane) For me, I’ve lived with all of these people at some point. With the rude slacker sociopath slob, Merv (Jeremy Strong), I relived all of terrible roommates of apartments past. The sick mind games and manipulation he plays on Alice (Katie Kreisler) actually made me sick to my stomach in the first act. And the other two roommates, Grigsby (Mandy Siegfried) and Vince (Stephen Kunken) are unaware of much of the manipulation, but definitely realize the magnitude of Merv’s indiscretions at the end of the first act.
This cast is great! I saw the production just after opening, and my only note would be that they should project a little less. We can hear them all fine, and they’re all over compensating vocally just a little too much. If they back down just a little, we’ll still be able to hear them well, and it’ll make Alice’s outbursts stand out even more.
Katie Kreisler is phenomenal. The fact that she goes out there and has to deal with Jeremy Strongs’ character and stand alone against him is one thing. Her absolute power and stamina of voice had me in awe. With a wide array of emotion and tactics at hand, she gave the most remarkable performance of the evening, closely followed by Jeremy Strong. Mr. Strong’s ability to get completely under my skin, and still be a likeable (yet totally crazy wouldn’t want to be alone in a room with him) character had me conflicted throughout the whole production.
Morena Baccarin does a really nice job, especially as her bio suggests she hasn’t had much stage time outside of Julliard. She holds her own and gives a memorable performance. She is strongest in the second act when she really starts to take control of what she wants and how she’s going to get it. Stephen Kunken as Stu is just great. One of the few characters with an actual conscience and any thread of moral decency, Mr. Kunken is kind of awesome.
Christopher Evan Welch is also very good, but a little less present in the first act and although he seemed to be doing some line readings, he warmed up considerably halfway through act one. His rants are hilarious to listen to and he does his best work during act two shouting a diatribe about the worthlessness of news and how Anderson Cooper started out as the host of The Mole. Mandy Siegfried and Haynes Thigpen both do good character work, considering how light their material was.
Overall Our House is a great production and I kind of want to see it again. And then maybe a third time. You should go and order your tickets now.
The performance schedule for OUR HOUSE is Tuesdays through Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2:30 & 8PM and Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 PM. Tickets, $65, may be purchased online via TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).
For ticket information to all PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS productions,
call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200, Noon to 8PM daily,
or purchase online at the Playwrights Horizons website at http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/
Basically we follow two stories. Set in a gorgeous steel and glass executive suite, story one is about Jennifer, a news reporter on the rise (Morena Baccarin, of TV’s Firefly and Stargate SG 1) and her executive boss/lover Wes (Christopher Evan Welch) who is adamant to see her rise continue, despite the cost and regardless of any advice Stu (Stephen Kunken), the head of the news department, can give him.
The second story is set in a living hell of an apartment. (The set was gorgeously designed by Dereck McLane) For me, I’ve lived with all of these people at some point. With the rude slacker sociopath slob, Merv (Jeremy Strong), I relived all of terrible roommates of apartments past. The sick mind games and manipulation he plays on Alice (Katie Kreisler) actually made me sick to my stomach in the first act. And the other two roommates, Grigsby (Mandy Siegfried) and Vince (Stephen Kunken) are unaware of much of the manipulation, but definitely realize the magnitude of Merv’s indiscretions at the end of the first act.
This cast is great! I saw the production just after opening, and my only note would be that they should project a little less. We can hear them all fine, and they’re all over compensating vocally just a little too much. If they back down just a little, we’ll still be able to hear them well, and it’ll make Alice’s outbursts stand out even more.
Katie Kreisler is phenomenal. The fact that she goes out there and has to deal with Jeremy Strongs’ character and stand alone against him is one thing. Her absolute power and stamina of voice had me in awe. With a wide array of emotion and tactics at hand, she gave the most remarkable performance of the evening, closely followed by Jeremy Strong. Mr. Strong’s ability to get completely under my skin, and still be a likeable (yet totally crazy wouldn’t want to be alone in a room with him) character had me conflicted throughout the whole production.
Morena Baccarin does a really nice job, especially as her bio suggests she hasn’t had much stage time outside of Julliard. She holds her own and gives a memorable performance. She is strongest in the second act when she really starts to take control of what she wants and how she’s going to get it. Stephen Kunken as Stu is just great. One of the few characters with an actual conscience and any thread of moral decency, Mr. Kunken is kind of awesome.
Christopher Evan Welch is also very good, but a little less present in the first act and although he seemed to be doing some line readings, he warmed up considerably halfway through act one. His rants are hilarious to listen to and he does his best work during act two shouting a diatribe about the worthlessness of news and how Anderson Cooper started out as the host of The Mole. Mandy Siegfried and Haynes Thigpen both do good character work, considering how light their material was.
Overall Our House is a great production and I kind of want to see it again. And then maybe a third time. You should go and order your tickets now.
The performance schedule for OUR HOUSE is Tuesdays through Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2:30 & 8PM and Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 PM. Tickets, $65, may be purchased online via TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).
For ticket information to all PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS productions,
call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200, Noon to 8PM daily,
or purchase online at the Playwrights Horizons website at http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/
