BWW Reviews: Trinity's Triumphant GARDEN Blooms with Love and Laughter

In most cases, when you have a pair or set of something, one is bound to be stronger or better than the other. They may claim to be, or try to be, but one is usually superior in some way. Alan Ayckborn's House & Garden is no different. In this theatrical pair, two plays designed to be performed simultaneously in adjoining theaters by the same cast, the clearly superior sibling is Garden, the second of the two to open at Trinity Repertory Company.

Whereas House took place inside the walls of a country estate, Garden takes place outside, in perfectly manicured grounds which surround the palatial home. House dealt primarily with the home's inhabitants and their struggles, mostly in marriage and politics. Outside, in the garden, we get to see how everyone else is living. There's still a focus on the patriarch of the family, Teddy, but most of the time is given to his neighbors, friends, servants, special guests, and the people who have arrived to set up the special event taking place in the garden.

It would be interesting to speak with Ayckbourn and find out what his process was when writing these plays. The feeling, having seen them both, is that Garden was written first and then he took all of the extra scenes he had written, added some filler and exposition, strung everything together and created House.

While House takes forever to really get going, Garden has no such problem. It rockets off the launching pad and the fast, hilarious pace really never lets up. Even when Garden does slow down for an intimate or emotional moment, the scenes ring far truer. They actually serve a purpose and make a point, in the grand scheme of things, unlike the constant irrelevancy of a number of moments during House.

Although House often seemed disjointed and all over the place, Garden feels much more focused, with a tighter structure and clearer through-line, not to mention all the funniest lines, jokes, sight gags, physical humor and farcical craziness. There's actually an interesting difference in tone between the two plays which Ayckbourn may or may not have intended. House is much more serious, gloomy and even depressing, while Garden is lively, joyous, fun and rollicking.

One of the most important differences is found in the characters at the center of Garden, for the most part. Unlike House, where everything was very shallow and superficial, the audience actually gets to know the people who inhabit Garden. This time, we have the chance to truly sympathize with them, feel for them, like them and even hate them, for who they really are.

Garden also benefits from having these more well-rounded characters played by actors who are perfectly cast, mostly from Trinity's resident Acting Company. First and foremost is Stephen Thorne as Giles Mace, a character that could easily have devolved into just a silly man who people walk all over. That doesn't happen because Thorne elevates the character into something more, making Giles a real, complex human being, someone we recognize, someone we root for and rally behind.

Equally fantastic is Angela Brazil as Giles' wife Joanna, whose affair is revealed at the beginning of the play. She begins as a woman who is conflicted and guilt-ridden, and slowly but surely goes just a little bit over The Edge. Ok, more than just a little bit, and Brazil is brilliantly hilarious as she jumps in and out of bushes and gets involved in one of the greatest on-stage fights in a fountain you will ever see. This play proves again that anything is better when Stephen Thorne and Angela Brazil are involved.

Having seen House first, I was hoping Garden would fill in a couple of plot holes but unfortunately, it did not. In fact, things happen in Garden that make no sense in the context of the events in House and things happened in House that suddenly make no sense once you've seen Garden.

On the other hand, Garden does allow the audience to appreciate some of the performers who made minor cameos in House. Catherine Dupont's character, Peal Truce, seemed to only appear in House to act crazy and provide comic relief. In Garden, though, we get to know Pearl better and get to see all of Dupont's excellent and multi-layered performance. Similarly, Mary C. Davis, as Lindy Love, appeared only briefly in House, with little to no reason for actually being there. In Garden, Davis, who was so good in Trinity's Merchant of Venice, gets us to fall in love with her again. Her character, Lindy, is another woman in the middle of a frustrating relationship and Davis' performance is a master class in how to make exasperation hilarious.

If you're only able to see one show, there's no question about it, see Garden. It is easily the most consistently laugh-out-loud production you are likely to see this summer. If you're going to see both, which I do recommend, see Garden first, just to make sure you catch it. Besides, seeing Garden first will help make more sense out of the entire experience as a whole and it is an experience well worth having.

Garden plays May 26 - June 30 in the Dowling Theater. Regular and discounted tickets are on sale now at the Trinity Rep box office, 201 Washington St.; by phone at (401) 351-4242; and online at www.trinityrep.com.

Pictured: Catherine Dupont and Stephen Thorne. Photo by Mark Turek.

To post a comment, you must register and login.