April 6, 2007

• In a Dark, Dark House

  I love Neil Labute films like In the Company of Men and The Shape of Things.  As IMDB puts it, “his films usually consist of a cruel and vicious battle of the sexes.”  I dig it.

  Anyway he also writes for the stage, and one of the best parts of living in Manhattan has been catching his plays in person.  He stages them at the MCC Theater in the West Village, which is a few blocks from my apartment.  His last few plays were pretty controversial:

  • Fat Pig: “A man named Tom hits it off with a woman named Helen, who happens to be a touch large. This doesn’t sit well with Tom’s friends, Carter and Jeannie, two LaBute archetypes: sometimes sage, sometimes stupid, almost always nasty. Fat Pig was inspired in part by LaBute’s own experiment with Atkins—losing 60 pounds in the past year, then gaining most of it back.” more
    
  • Some Girl(s): “Eric McCormack [of Will & Grace], as a writer who uses his relationships as background material for his stories, confronts four past lovers to “right some wrongs,” meeting them in second-rate hotel rooms in Seattle, Chicago, Boston and finally Los Angeles.” more

  I loved these plays, especially Fat Pig.  And I find myself thinking about Some Girl(s) sometimes, a sure sign that a play was worth seeing.  So I’m especially excited that Neil Labute is staging a new play, In a Dark Dark House

  On the grounds of a private psychiatric facility, two family members find themselves brought face-to-face with each other’s involvement in their traumatic pasts. In court-ordered rehab, Drew calls on his brother Terry to corroborate his story of abuse. Drew’s request releases barely-hidden animosities between the two. In Neil LaBute’s powerful new play, these siblings must struggle to come to grips with their troubled legacy, both inside and outside of their dark family home. tix

  Ooh, so dark.  The cost is a bit steep, but his last few plays were totally worth it.  Ron
  Livingston and Jason Patric are starring in this one – Ron Livingston
  was in Office Space, Band of Brothers and Sex and the City, and Jason Patric was in
  Speed 2 (I don’t know what else Jason Patric has been in).

  If you like dark, taboo subjects, you’ll love Neil Labute’s plays.  Just thought I’d blog about it, because they usually sell out fast!  I got 2 tickets for the night of the premiere, so they must still have plenty of tickets left.  If you dig this sorta thing, grab a few tix before it’s too late! 

  • 6:42 pm
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