The Clean House
by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by JoAnne Winter
Produced by the Ross Valley Players
“The mystical becomes real, the metaphysical becomes physical, and we come to see new aspects to relationships that work because of love.
The music appropriately brings joy and romance to life with its vital Brazilian strains, while occasionally soaring with operatic eternity for magical sequences.”
Directed by JoAnne Winter
Produced by the Ross Valley Players
“James Ard’s sound design, with music ranging from Samba to Tango to Bossa Nova, reflects the culture and spirit of Matilde and Ana, and the songs make subtle commentary on life.”
“Sarah Ruhl’s “The Clean House” ends with a recording of Tom Jobim’s Águas de Março, a somewhat stream-of-consciousness song about life and the bits and pieces of debris that get swept up in the swirling currents of water from the tropical rains that mark the transition from summer to fall in Rio de Janeiro. It sums up the play neatly. The lyrics— é pau, é pedra, é o fim do caminho, it’s a stick, a stone, the end of the road—are much like the unexpected events that carry the play’s characters along in situations they can’t control, whether it’s falling in love or searching for the perfect joke.”
“Sound designer James Ard has chosen a couple of gorgeous operatic arias for key scenes, yielding an emotional resonance not possible from actors alone, no matter how talented.”