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Writing for Us
A CurtainUp Los Angeles Review
House of Gold
| "The world is ruled by the dreams of chidren." — JonBenet Ramsey
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Denise Crosby and Jacqueline Wright
(Photo credit: Thom Bertelsen) |
The play opens with Man (Tony Pasqualini) and Woman (Denise Crosby) having a domestic breakfast. Their beautiful six-year-old, JonBenet (Jacqueline Wright) has been groomed to please. Her false smile is plastered on. When late in the play Woman paints the chld's face while alternately encouraging and insulting her, it wrings with a mordant truth.
The Apollonian Boys bring in the mindless children brutalizing childrensub-plot. They wrestle with each other and willingly taking on Jasper (Alex Davis), a little boy who deliberately insults them. He's brave and stands up to the boys for no apparent reason. He interacts with JonBenet on a realistic level, whether dead or alive.
Getting to the dead . . .detective (Keith Arthur Bolden) examines JonBenet's body fulsomely, with no idea where it's going. And Joe (Graham Sibley), the handsome young villain, has a couple of wicked scenes with JonBenet — no touching but the intent is clear. Grandpop (Melvin Weiss), a distant figure bundled up in the attic where JonBenet goes to cuddle in his arms, is a dream of comfort.
The only scene this reviewer had real problems with was when JonBenet unzips a man's pants on her knees. To use her as a fantasy figure is one thing but to give her actions for which there is no basis is quite another.
The character of JonBenet is grotesque. She defines the title as follows: "Grown-ups are like unicorns. There is no such thing. Everyone stays young forever. No one ever dies ---- in a house of gold." While Wright is a fine actress the director's choice to have her grimace so much of the time is doubtful. Denise Crosby as Woman is menacingly accurate to watch. The Apollonian Boys (Chris Arvan, Josh Heine, Matt Little, Eric Schulman) do provide some welcome relief. They are active and fierce, keeping the play from being all talk.
Heightening the fantasy ambiance are projections on three large screens by video designer Alexander Mirecki and projection designer William R. Parks. These range from a realistic snap of two little people to sketches like those drawn in a child's hand. Director Gates McFadden has uses the stage and the actorsshrewdly to draw truth out of fantasy.
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Title: House of Gold Playwright: Gregory Moss Director: Gates McFadden Animation: Drew Christie Cast: Man (Tony Pasqualini), Woman (Denise Crosby), JonBenet (Jacqueline Wright), Jasper (Alex Davis), Detective (Keith Arthur Bolden), Joe (Graham Sibley), Apollonian Boys (Chris Arvan, Josh Heine, Matt Little, Eric Schulman), Grandpop (Melvin Weiss). Set Design: Kurt Boetcher Lighting Design: Elizabeth Harper Sound Design: David B. Marling Video Design: Alexander Mirecki Projection Design: William R. Parks Costume Design: Christina Haatainen-Jones When: Oct. 22-Dec. 4, 2011 Where: EST/LA @ Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles. Reservations: 323-644-1929 Reviewed by Laura Hitchcock on Oct. 30. |
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In the Heights
