In Colorado Springs, GerRee Hinshaw helms a near-perfect Theatreworks production
Is cashing in always selling out? Theatreworks at the CU-Colorado Springs dives deep into gentrification in Dream House appearing at the Ent Center for the Performing Arts through Feb. 18. Well cast with its three actors fully inhabiting their characters, the play is profoundly thoughtful in a tragically comical way. It is a unique must-see.
Dream House focuses on two estranged Latina sisters selling their childhood home in the wake of their mother’s passing. Discovering the shabby and dated home is now worth a small fortune in a newly anointed trendy ‘hood, the duo finds their values and their bond tested. Enter the welcome comedy: They hire an HGTV-style home renovation show to do the deed.
The two sisters and TV host are a truckload of talent in this dark comedy. Chelley Canales plays the long-gone galivanting younger sister Julia, who has left her bitter older sister Patricia (Laura Chavez) to care for their dying mother.
Snake charmer Tess (Katie Medved) is the charismatic TV show host and producer of “Flip it and List It” who has bedazzled the sisters with celebrity and a huge payout if they come on her show. Behind her bubbly blonde persona, Medved plays the master manipulator.
Tess learns the two have dark secrets. Six months pregnant, Canales shares Julia’s news that the relationship with her perfect man has failed and she will be a single mother. She’s all in on cashing out as she so aptly tells Patricia: “At least money doesn’t run out on you.” Patricia begs to differ, admitting to a façade of career success steeped in loneliness and disappointment.
In divulging their truths, the schism begins as the two perform credible and painful monologues. Their scenes together are powerfully moving as they grapple with cultural values, generational trauma and a family history that is more fiction than truth.
Stagecraft takes center stage in this show inside a show. The play’s intermittent filming of “Flip it and List It” operates on an on-off switch complete with stagehands darting on and off set. Lights and sounds, the shuffling of props and freeze-scenes transport the audience with ease. Accolades to director GerRee Hinshaw and the entire production team — from lighting and sound designers Jennifer Fok and Patrice Mondragon, respectively, to scenographer David J. Castellano.
As Tess plays puppet master to Julia and Patricia while filming, she is dividing and conquering behind the scenes. It is all about the show for Medved, whose character shifts seamlessly between roles. Like the play itself, Medved’s Tess plays a role inside a role — and does it so well.
A near-perfect dramedy
Written by Eliana Pipes, Dream House is a near-perfect blend of relatable trauma/drama against a comedic backdrop. Diverse scenes and situations occur on a platform stage, enabling the audience a more intimate experience. This tale of two sisters builds with plausible dialogue, well executed.
The story will resonate on many levels, from familial bonds to injustices to the maneuverings of exploitive narcissists potentially in your midst. The plotline resembles a morality play with an expected and righteous outcome. However, the audience will be surprised and leave reflective. The hollow showmanship of the TV show will have you laughing as the burden of choice leaves you questioning your dreams.
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