WHISPER HOUSE: MURMURS OF SOMETHING GREAT |
By C. Davis Remignanti SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, 5 FEBRUARY 2010 It should work. It almost does. But Whisper House, which is in its world premiere run at San Diegos Old Globe Theatre, is in need of significant tinkering. On paper, at least, Whisper House, the new musical collaboration from Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening) and Kyle Jarrow (A Very Merry Unauthorized Childrens Scientology Pageant), has all the ingredients for a fascinating and fulfilling evening of theater. Three storm-tossed individuals a man, a woman and a child are thrown together by happenstance, setting up a nice piece of dramaturgical tension over whether the unlikely trio can form a family unit, finding solace and fulfillment in each others company. Place them in an eerily gothic setting, then toss in the presence of a couple of grudge-holding ghosts, intent on spoiling everyones chances for happiness. Finally, wrap the entire story in an unusual theatrical form one where the mortals do all the talking and the ghosts do all the singing.
The problem is that the two threads dramatic and musical are not intertwining gracefully. Everything about the evenings presentation is period (early in World War II) except the music which, even though lovely, is decidedly contemporary. The effect is rather like flipping channels between two television programs spending a few minutes watching a classic film on AMC, then dashing over to MTV for some music, then back to the movie, etc What is perhaps the evenings most ear-worm-worthy tune ("The Tale of Solomon Snell") is awkwardly shoe-horned into the proceedings and, while a fun diversion, serves mostly to grind the story to a four-minute halt. The stylistic time-shifting is a worthy conceit, one that served Mr. Sheik well in his fantastically popular Spring Awakening. But here its not fully cooked, and Whisper House needs the hand of a brave and ruthless master chef who can make the possibly-painful decisions required to allow the disparate flavors to blend into a savory whole. Emmy Award winner Mare Winningham is pitch- and picture-perfect as Miss Lilly, but she deserves the opportunity to show the cracks in her characters curmudgeonly veneer, a chance not afforded her with the current script and direction. (Unfortunate news: Ms. Winningham is leaving the production two weeks into its run, citing "scheduling conflicts." Hmmm.) Arthur Acuña gives a fine performance as Yasuhiro, but he seems miscast physically distractingly youthful and, frankly, buff which serves to strain even a willing suspension of disbelief when it comes to the tender feelings that sprout between his character and Lilly. (Clever costuming would go a long way toward correcting that oversight.) The pivotal role of young Christopher will always be a challenge to cast, as the script, the story, indeed the entire evening hinges on a child actor with dramatic skills far in advance of his years.
The two un-named ghosts, as currently presented, are meant to be menacing (they sing: "Were here to tell you / Ghosts are here for good / If this doesnt terrify you / It should. It should.") but, in fact, they are creepy only in the way Michael Keatons Beetlejuice was odd, yes, but all-in-all, kind of entertaining and fun to have around. Certainly not the kind of ghosts that could plausibly encourage a little boy to consider killing himself. In the fuzzily-conceived roles, David Poe and Holly Brook show theyve got the musical chops, but in the end, the ghosts are just too darn likeable. Michael Schweikardts beautiful and evocative set is under-served by Matthew Richards lighting just because the dramatic mood is dark doesnt mean essential pieces of stage business should take place in near-total darkness. Finally, the evening seems a bit brief the intermission-less performance clocks in at just over 90 minutes and, if the exasperated sighs of the audience members around me are any indication, the end is abrupt and unsatisfying. The proceedings could easily sustain an additional 20 - 25 minutes, precious opportunity to let the characters and story develop a more fully realized depth of flavor. Whisper House is a worthy evening out, but for the wrong reasons: either because it affords the audience member a chance to see what could become the next great thing in an early and un-refined state, or because it might be your only opportunity to witness what may prove to be nothing more than an asterisk in the history of musical theater. Whisper House C. Davis Remignanti writes on design and the visual and decorative arts for Culturekiosque.com. He last wrote on The Johnny Mercer Centenary. Related Culturekiosque Archives Travel Tip - Los Angeles: The Browning Version The Johnny Mercer Centenary: Lyrical Splendor Philippe Decouflé at the "Crazy Horse" Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands Marked by Over and Under-rehearsed Performers | |
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