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Theater Review: "House Of The Rising Son"

Candice Aman |
April 26, 2011 | 4:42 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

To categorize “House of the Rising Son” simply as a family drama would be denying it of so many other components that contribute to the complexity and depth of the production. Written by Tom Jacobson, the play is at once a drama, but filled to the brim with humor, love, thought-provoking themes and even ghosts. 

Under the direction of Michael Micetti, the cast, composed of four equally strong male leads, so eloquently helps to tell the tale of the unique Varro family lineage and an outsider who has unwillingly been granted access to their sacred and intriguing tradition. 

At the core of the play, “House of the Rising Son” is a love story of a schoolboy infatuation that develops between Trent Varro (Paul Witten), a renowned parasitologist at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, and Felix Martin (Steve Coombs), a much younger and more attractive museum employee.

Immediately after they meet, the duo set off into the night to visit cemeteries and bond over their love of ghost stories. What started off as a spontaneous escapade quickly blossoms into something more serious when Trent invites Felix along to visit his family in New Orleans. 

Back in Louisiana, the remaining Varro family — Trent’s father, Garret (Patrick John Hurley) and grandfather, Bowen (Rod Menzies) — grows close to Felix despite their inherent disapproval of the relationship. However, as gritty family secrets begin to unravel, Felix learns that he might not be so different from those who condemned him. 

The play is a microcosm of how homosexual relationships are still perceived in the Deep South today and Micetti has brilliantly created a show to that makes the audience feel as though they are observers into this private world, allowing them to formulate their own opinions about the issues.

Set designer Richard Hoover has creatively incorporated the theater’s intimate environment to demonstrate two distinct locations: the sprawling urban landscape of West Los Angeles and an old world manor in a post-Katrina New Orleans.

Slightly crooked fixtures on the wall and offbeat furniture dangling from the ceiling help to create an Alice in Wonderland-esque world that is an appropriate setting as Felix falls deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of Varro family secrets. 

With a daring script, innovative directing and an ensemble with some serious acting chops, the Ensemble Studio Theatre has showcased the perfect project to push the boundaries of any conventional production in its inaugural season. 

And while some of the graphic scenes and themes might not make the play a suitable place to bring the kids, “House of the Rising Son,” is an experience guaranteed to garner a strong reaction from everyone. 

“House of the Rising Son” will continue to challenge and captivate theatergoers at the Ensemble Studio Theatre until May 29.

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