Dream Home

Dream Home is a theatrical experience defined by daring and innovation. The opening scenes immediately put the audience at ease without allowing them to become complacent. The performance is deliberately targeted at creating a tangible and direct connection with the psyche of the characters and the realities of contemporary life.

The realism of Brian (Christopher Brown) and Wendy (Emily Tomlins) as an upwardly mobile, ethically sound and environmentally conscious couple proves to be both satirical and comforting. However, their unwitting journey into a frequently dark past, elicited by their unfinished dwelling, suggests that the characters house more than just some skeletons in the closet. The soldier (Ben Clements) is played with restraint while Elise (Olivia Monticciolo) and her open mike rampage is virtually unleashed onto the stage. These kinds of contrasts in performance make the characters intriguing and allow the actors to display their craft with the skill and confidence of a virtuoso. As the dialogue becomes increasingly poetic, and the familiarity of everyday banter meanders into more existential realms, the characters become positively ethereal.

These dramatic and awe inspiring changes in the textual properties are not always an easy transition but they are managed deftly, even if their purpose is somewhat obscure. Perfectly timed execution of lines and beautifully choreographed movement contribute to making this a very clever production.

Patricia Di Risio

Image: Emily Tomlins (Wendy). Photographer: Pia Johnson.