New York Review: “In a Dark, Dark House” at A.R.T/New York Theatres
Featured: David Beck and Neil Holland. Photo by Brian Hotaling.
Max Berry, Contributing Critic - New York City
“In a Dark, Dark House” is a Neil LaBute play that surprisingly doesn’t follow the usual outline that so many of his full-lengths seem to fall into. Rather than the stock characters that we often see, such as the awkward and kind of shy man and his brash and crude best friend, we are given two brothers that seem to waver in the middle. The play follows brothers Drew (David Beck) and Terry (Neil Holland) as they discover they were both abused by the same man when they were kids. We watch with our teeth clenched as the two struggle to understand and cope with this trauma. Their relationship is tested and things unravel that both of them would probably have rather stayed hidden.
The performances from Beck and Holland as the two brothers were top notch. Though, at first, it did seem that the two were unsure of the relationship these two complicated people had. It definitely took them both a little way into the first scene to really embrace who these people were, but once they did, the results were astounding. Holland as Terry was particularly compelling. Coming into the play appears to be the classic LaBute “macho man’s man” type, it becomes more and more clear that there is more to him than what meets the eye and Holland navigates that beautifully. This makes for even more internal conflict on the audience’s part when we see some of his actions unfold in the play. Krystal Tavarez is great as Jennifer. She brings a vibrant energy to a pivotal scene in the play.
This, of course, is not a comfortable play. Like any LaBute play, we are confronted with the worst of humanity being delivered to us like it so often is in life, by ordinary people. These ordinary people have experienced the worst and even done some of the worst. We aren’t told who to root for and the choices that we, the audience, make about who’s side we’re on reveal just as much about us as it does about the characters on stage. The play, in a sense, demands you to sit with that. See how you feel about it. And maybe even do something about it. Change it, perhaps. We aren’t given any answers but we sure are given a whole lot of complicated questions. The actors, as well as director Sam Helfrich, use the discomfort of the play strategically and to great effect.
The set design by Afsoon Pajoufar was very well done. Keeping it simple with a mostly blank stage give or take a few props, Pajoufar built a white wall with markings all across it that resembled scratch marks of someone desperately trying to escape something. If you looked closely you could even see blood. The sense of desperation and of being trapped that this wall created was felt even before the play began and continued until the final bows.
“In a Dark, Dark House” was unsettling, compelling, and incredibly well-acted. The relationship between Terry and Drew was more believable as the play went on and by the explosive end, I didn’t know what to think. It was a play that rubbed me raw and kept me thinking. And for a play like this, that’s one of the best things you can do.
“In a Dark, Dark House” was written by Neil LaBute and directed by Sam Helfrich.
It featured: Neil Holland, David Beck, and Krystal Tavarez
With scenic design by Afsoon Pajoufar.
Lighting design by Reza Behjat
Costume design by Rodrigo Munoz
Sound design by Daniel Cohen
It runs from December 6-21st at A.R.T/New York Theatres (502 W 53rd st, New York NY 10019)