Ross Valley Players Presents THE CLEAN HOUSE, Now thru 6/14

ROSS VALLEY PLAYERS will present Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House for audiences with the artistic talent of Director JoAnne Winter, and Set Designer David Shirk. This team will bring Sarah Ruhl's whimsical, romantic script to life - Ms. Winter's deep text-to-stage background at award-winning theatre company Word for Word Performing Arts Company, combined with Mr. Shirk's Academy Award Winning (Visual Effects) design experience is certain to delight audiences.

The Clean House is a lyrical, romantic comedy that moves fluidly around a Brazilian cleaning woman who would rather think of her next joke than clean. Pulitzer Prize finalist and Winner of the 2004 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (for works by outstanding female English-speaking playwrights), The Clean House has received glowing reviews from several critics including Variety who called the play a "...wondrously mad and moving work..."

The Clean House begins with a preview tonight, May 14th and runs through Sunday, June 14th. Opening night is Friday, May 15th at 8PM. www.rossvalleyplayers.com

Matilde (Livia Demarchi) is a Brazilian maid who does not like to clean. She has been hired by a privileged American doctor, Lane (Sylvia Burboeck), to clean her house. Depressed over the recent loss of her parents who were both comedians, Matilde turns to comedy for comfort. When she is not thinking up jokes, Matilde gets depressed. And when Matilde gets depressed, she doesn't like to clean. Fortunately, Lane's housewife sister, Virginia (Tamar Cohn), comes to visit Matilde after hearing of her depression and offers to clean the house for her every day before Lane comes home from the hospital. When Matilde and Virginia discover panties in Lane's laundry that look too sexy for her it sets off a series of events that include Lane's surgeon husband Charles (Steven Price), and his new mistress, Anna (Sumi Narendran), on whom he recently performed a mastectomy, just after falling instantly in love with her during a brief consultation. This original, funny, and ultimately profound comedy will charm and delight with its quirky humor and deep compassion for the human condition. The Clean House is directed by JoAnne Winter.

Performances are Thursday, May 14th (Preview Night) through Sunday, June 14th, with Opening Night on Friday, May 15th at 8PM. Regular Thursday performances are at 7:30PM; Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM; Sunday matinees at 2PM. (Please note there is no matinee on Sunday, May 17th .) All performances take place at the Barn Theatre, home of the Ross Valley Players - 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross, CA 94957. Ticket prices are $29 general admission, $25 for seniors 62+ and $14 for children (under 18) and student with valid ID. Preview night ticket prices are $10 for children and students; $15 general admission. Thursday night tickets prices are $14 for children and students with a high school or college ID, $23 for adults.

Audience members are invited to participate in "Talkback" with the director and actors after the matinee performances on Sunday, May 24 and 31. Buzz at the Barn, a pre-show cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and wine, will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 7PM.

To order tickets, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1 or visit www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

Photo by Gregg Le Blanc