Theatre review: Whisper House, or, A Critic Goes Bicoastal

Almost five months ago, I moved myself from New York to San Diego. During my decade in New York, I saw (and reviewed) thousands of plays. In my heyday I was reviewing three or four plays a week, and that’s not counting the ones I saw that I wasn’t reviewing. Since moving to San Diego, I’ve seen one--Noah Haidle’s Saturn Returns at South Coast Rep in Costa Mesa.

Last night I went to my first play in San Diego; Duncan Sheik’s Whisper House at the Old Globe. Yes, that Duncan Sheik, of Spring Awakening fame. It was disconcerting to say the least, watching off-Broadway theatre so far off-Broadway.

In New York, I saw all manner of plays and playhouses. I saw shows on Broadway and at BAM, packed to the gills; I sat in leaky basements in the East Village where I was one of three audience members. I’ve seen plays in cars (yes, in cars), in churches, in the subway, in apartments, in parks, in the street, and in innumerable basements. More often than not, I was watching theatre in a repurposed space--I saw plays in an actual theatre maybe 35% of the time. I’ve sat on folding chairs, backless benches, church pews, boxes, floor mats, and the grass. Comfortable seating was a luxury, as was a coat check. Occasionally there was a folding table set up where I could purchase $6 beer or box wine.

Now, I didn’t always live in New York. I’ve seen plenty of community and regional theatre, so it’s not like the concept of free parking at the theatre is completely unheard-of. But it is very unfamiliar. The Old Globe has free parking. Lots of it. And a valet. More importantly, I drove to the theatre; no subway required. (I’ve missed plays because of subway delays and snafus. No worrying about that here!) The Old Globe also has a year-round outdoor pub. Let me just restate that--year-round. Outdoors. Their theatres have cushy seats, and wide aisles. My knees didn’t automatically hit the back of the seat in front of me for the first time in--well, nearly a decade. Best of all, I didn’t have to swing back out into the aisle and perform a couple of advanced yoga moves in order to cross my legs.

The last play I saw in New York was Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, at the Public, an incredibly subversive and hilarious musical. The theatre (the Public’s black box space) was about the size of three corner offices. Not one audience member was over 40, and there couldn’t have been seating for more than 50 people, tops. The play started at 10 PM. I sat in a folding chair, with my coat on my lap. I took the subway there, and back again to Brooklyn. If I remember correctly, it was about 45 degrees outside.

Fast forward several months to San Diego. Whisper House is also a subversive musical, by a guy who made his name in New York. The Old Globe was enormous, and beautiful, and seated 600. I drove there, and parked for free. It was 70 degrees outside; despite that, there was a coat check. My seat had a cushion, and ample leg room. Granted, when I saw Spring Awakening on Broadway, the weather was lovely and I had a coat check and a cushy seat then, too. Duncan Sheik plays well on both coasts, it seems. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

It helped that I was viewing a familiar name; musicals have never been my forte, but Spring Awakening is one of the few that I actually like. Duncan Sheik is becoming a force to be reckoned with, I think; while this show is stylistically very different from Spring Awakening, Sheik still shows his characteristic musical insouciance.

While fellow reviewer Evan Henerson wasn’t thrilled with Whisper House, (see his review here) I thought it was perfect for my own personal reentry into the theatre world. I agree with much of his review--the book was pretty thin--but atmospherically, I felt the evening was exceptional. The play’s soundtrack was very nearly a cross between The Killers and a moody James Bond theme song; the lighting and fog usage were eerie and mournful without being overwrought; the acting was excellent; the set was architecturally interesting; and the audience was happily mixed, both old and young alike. And the piece was, for good or ill, recognizably Duncan Sheik.