The Clean House

‘The Clean House’ is the sixth play by Sarah Ruhl, who was a 2005 Pulitzer finalist. This comedy / tragedy won the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Best Play Written in English by a Female Playwright; it is presented by Black Swan State Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre Company. This fanciful drama is showing at the Playhouse Theatre, Pier Street, Perth nightly at 7.30 until 19^th June.

         The setting is the sitting room of a very luxurious house in America. The room is pristine, with white walls and furniture, just the sterile looking environment that one may expect in the home of a lady doctor, Lane (Sarah McNeill), and her much-loved, surgeon husband, Charles (Hugh Parker). However egotistical Lane likes her home to be immaculately clean – as long as she doesn’t have to do the menial tasks herself. She hires a young, Brazilian maid, whimsical Matilde (Brooke Satchwell) the only problem is she doesn’t like cleaning either.

         According to Matilde, her deceased parents were the funniest couple in Brazil. Now that the challenge is hers, she spends most of her time searching for the perfect joke. On a visit from Lane’s obsessive compulsive sister, Virginia (Carol Burns), who has a Lady Macbeth-like need to cleanse, she offers to do Matilde’s work for her on the understanding that Lane does not find out. After all, the cleaning of one’s house should not be trusted to strangers.

         When Lane discovers that her husband has left her for one of his patients, Ana (Vivienne Garrett), Lane is distraught. However, when the cuckold arrives at her house with his new ‘soul mate’ things become very strained.

         How will Lane handle this new invasion in her life? Will Lane’s house continue to be spotless, yet her life muddled? Will Matilde ever find the perfect joke?

On the opening curtain, one can only gasp at Andrew Bellchambers’ stunning set. The huge window facing the forest outside. The immaculate and plush room, the feeling of opulence is immediate. I am not to sure who is responsible for the spectacular visual effects, dazzling.

The well-designed costumes, by Alicia Clements, range from the elegantly dressed Lane to the smart, but frumpy, Virginia. Then through to the holiday outfits and Charles’ trekking clothes.

Ash Gibson Greig once again has captured the mood perfectly, and added an appropriate South American touch with acoustic guitar. The sound effects of the ocean and weather were realistic and just at the correct level.

What can one say about the lighting, other than it is probably the best that I have ever seen. The cues were numerous and tricky. The styles of lighting very varied, but always apt. Congratulations to designer David Murray, brilliant.

A final quick mention of hard working stage mangers Amy Leader and Natalie Moir – poor souls!

Smoothly, and with a great deal of skill, director, Kate Cherry – assisted in the movement and flow by Claudia Alessi - handled the meta-realistic acting, where characters could even see the people in other’s imagination. In a novel approach, the acting also mixed scenes kilometres apart and blended them together in the one place.

This is a very good comedy, but is really about the interaction of four very different women. There are some hilarious lines, but into this play are blended very sad, poignant and emotional passages. Sarah McNeill, especially, had a huge range of emotions to portray, every second of which she displayed wonderfully. The whole cast had great chemistry and performance skills. The Portuguese, Spanish and American accents under the guidance of Julia Moody were flawless.

An amazing piece of theatre, with every theatre skill displayed at its finest. I run out of superlatives.