“House” and “Garden” at Trinity Rep

By Richard Pacheco

Trinity Rep’s latest offering by English playwright Alan Ayckbourn's "House & Garden" has a single cast performing two plays at the same time. “House” takes place upstairs while “Garden” goes on at the same time downstairs with the same cast. It is almost a live magic act as actors run back and forth between the two sets to perform and it is pure comic delight all the way.        

While the plays are connected, they are also independent productions which can stand alone. You would do yourself a disservice to see only one as both together pack a comic wallop that is sheer fun and a laugh a minute as well as having some touching moments.

            The plot revolves around the annual garden party of Trish and Teddy Platt and brings to a head that their marriage is headed for disaster in fact has been for many years because Teddy does not have the word fidelity in his vocabulary and cannot keep his pants on around other women.

Teddy is not the most secretive of fellows and everyone knows he is having an affair with his best friend’s wife. Only his best friend doesn’t know. Upstairs is the well to do members  and their guests, a marginal French movie stars, a famed mystery writer with political connections and an aim to convince Teddy to follow in the family tradition set my his father, grandfather and great grandfather in politics and run for Parliament. Meanwhile the garden hosts mostly the staff, the hired help like the sullen and cranky gardener, Warn,

Both plays center on Teddy, played with comic aplomb by Fred Sullivan Jr. and the women he is involved with, his wife, Trish played with a chilly distance and flair by Anne Scurria and his mistress the frenetic and crazed Angela Brazil.

Fred Sullivan Jr. Plays Teddy with a flair for his cavalier attitude towards marriage and sex, a charming man who is a total cad to his wife.

Anne Scurria plays Trish, his wife with icy aloofness, borne of years of long suffering knowledge that her marriage is over. She makes it hysterically funny.

Angela Brazil plays Joanna, an elementary school teacher with frantic finesse. When Teddy breaks up with her, she goes completely hysterical and looses it, turning into a total psycho, delusion and violent, ending up in a fist fight with the French movie star in the fountain.

Stephen Throne plays Teddy’s best friend Giles with understated skill. Giles is kind but clueless, nice to the point of being delusional and out of touch with reality—he blames himself for his wife’s affair with no blame at all on her.

There is strong support coming from the rest of the cast. Janice Duclos is sheer fun as the no nonsense housekeeper who is looking for the gardener to be a father to her feisty daughter.  Catherine Dupont is a hoot as her sexually provocative daughter, Pearl. Barry M. Press is a riot as the sullen gardener Warn with few lines but evokes tons of laughter with his body language. Bridget Saracino is on the mark as Teddy and Trish politically motivated daughter who wants to carry on the family tradition in politics. Stephen Jaenhert is delightful as her friend but wannabe boyfriend Jake, who is son to Joanna and Giles.

There is more fine support coming from Joe Wilson Jr., Phyllis Kay (who speaks no English in the role of the actress, just French), and Barbara Meek as well as the ill fitting couple played by Mary C. Davis and Ted Moeller. The children add a delightful touch to it all.

The plays are directed with wacky precision by Brian McEleney who keeps everything right on track and the laughs follow one right after another.

Ackbourn is a theatrical master (with 72 plays produced) and what could be merely an amusing exercise on the page turns into and vital, vibrant and truly funny production onstage with its deft balancing of timing and some touching moments as well.

The Eugene Lee set is a wonder. The upstairs set of the English manor house is perfect with ancestral portraits and stuffed animal heads abounding. The Garden set is a delight of astro turf and columns disguised as impressive trees and a charming fountain.

William Lane’s costume design is on target. Thom Jones dialect coaching is impeccable for all cast members.

"House & Garden" runs through June 30 at Trinity Rep, 201 Washington St., Providence. Tickets are $28-$68. Call (401) 351-4242, or visit trinityrep.com