The Clean House - Richmond Theatre (Review)
Review by David Munro
THE Clean House is symbolic of the sterile existence of Lane (Patricia Hodge), a doctor married to another, Charles (Oliver Cotton).
The play opens with her instructing her foreign maid, Matilde (Matalia Tena), whose conversation alternates between Brazilian/Spanish and broken English. She’s the stock “comic” maid and the opening scene sets the tone for the play – artificial and semi-farcical.
The voice of reason, if that is the mot juste, is Lane’s sister Virginia (Joanna McCallum) who ultimately rebels and scatters clothing around the “clean house” thereby releasing a spark of humanity in Lane who demonstrates this by taking in her husband’s dying mistress, Ana (Eleanor Bron) whilst he is scouring the Arctic wastes for a tree that will save her.
By the time he finds this, Ana is dead and the patience of the cast (and this reviewer) has been exhausted by the nonsense produced over the preceding hour and a half.
One has, however, to commend the actors all of whom, with the possible exception of Natalia Tena, rose to the occasion and by their combined skills almost made the evening’s proceedings credible.
Certainly, wherever a laugh was to be got they achieved it and the authoress Sarah Ruhl should be very pleased at the excellent treatment her farrago of nonsense received in their hands; with a lesser, or more unskilled cast, the evening would have been intolerable. As it was, the impeccable performances and restrained acting rescued it from the disaster that might otherwise have ensued.
The director, John Dove, aided by Michael Taylor’s mobile set, kept the action going at a breathless pace even though the plot had, at times, to be explained by subtitles displayed on two screens at the side of the stage.
In short, this is a worthless play redeemed by a faultless cast whose performances are well worth seeing and who were justifiably loudly applauded by last night’s audience.
The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl.
Directed by John Dove.
Choreographer – Craig Revel Horwood.
Designer – Michael Taylor.
Lighting – Howard Harrison.
Sound – Simon Baker.
Composer – Claire von Kampen.
CAST: Patricia Hodge; Joanna McCAllum; Oliver Cotton; Eleanor Bron; Natalia Tena.
Presented by Lee Dean, Jenny Topper, Laurence Myers, Charles Diamond, Hilary Williams in association with Royal and Derngate, Northampton.
Richmond Theatre, The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 IQJ.
Mon, April 21 – Sat, April 26, 2008.
Evenings: 7.45pm/Matinees Wed & Sat: 2.30pm.
Box Office: 0870 060 6651
I understand that the laughter was in the main, delivered by Christopher Biggins who annoyed at least two member of the audience with his inane loud laughter at inappropriate places. Glad I had to miss it.
— Steve Apr 22 #
Drivel of the highest order: it sparkled like a dead fish. I felt desperately sorry for the performers, but mercifully, it was the shortest play that I have ever tried to sleep through.
— Brian White May 3 #