The Burning House Group
Review: "3 Parts Dead"
Creepy '3 Parts Dead' missing only a few pieces
BY RENEE
VALOIS
Special to the Pioneer Press
TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
The Burning House Group takes audiences into
a dark, spooky house for the Halloween season. But is it a
madhouse or a haunted house - or both?
The world premiere of "3
Parts Dead" is like an
eerie puzzle the audience must assemble bit by bit. But, at
the end of the night, there's still a piece or two missing,
leaving small gaps that the imagination must supply.
This collaboration
between playwright Alan M. Berks, director Noah Bremer and
the Burning House Group makes the best use of darkness I've
ever seen in a show. Everything is raven-black when we hear
the first voice. Then a flashlight shines through the odd and
chaotic space. That feeble, solitary beam is all that illuminates
most of the first part of the production, making us feel as
if we are, indeed, meandering through an ominous abandoned
house.
Matt Guidry as Peter tells the story of how he came
to live in the old house, and there's a fascinating exploration
of his close but disturbing relationship with his younger brother
Jonathan.
David Allen Baker makes Jonathan the voice of reason
and responsibility in opposition to Peter's wastrel ways. Yet,
the responsible family man idolizes his charismatic but unbalanced
brother.
There's another presence in the house, played in truly
creepy fashion by Randal Berger, head shaved for the role.
Berger suggests deformity with twisting wrists and a sliding
limp, then snaps into an erect posture and showman-like patter
to suggest a real estate agent, and then shifts into the predatory
intensity of a cop just this side of evil. He plays a variety
of shadowy figures looming in the memory of Peter - and in
the history of the house.
The place in this production is as
much a character as the people - and it's a stunner. The eerily
effective flashlight reveals an unsettling set designed by
Charles Fraser and the company, with cardboard boxes and wooden
crates piled everywhere and dusty windows and mirrors suspended
at odd angles from the ceiling.
Bremer makes good use of the
scenic props, having actors pile the boxes and boards into
shapes that suggest other locations and times as they engage
in stories that provide glimmers of insight.
Floor spotlights create shadows and make the grimy
windowpanes glow. Amy Finch's sound design adds a lot to the
mood, with loud spectral crying, banging and sounds of construction
(although there were a few sound miscues on opening night).
My companion described the show as "riveting" but
admitted to confusion about the ending, which I'd call the
least-satisfying part of the show. It's appropriately dramatic
and disturbing but doesn't quite fit with the pieces of the
puzzle we've been assembling.
Still, "3 Parts Dead" is
an entertainingly hair-raising way to get in the mood for Halloween.
IF YOU GO
What: "3 Parts Dead"
Where: Minneapolis Theatre
Garage, 711 W. Franklin Ave., Mpls.
When: Through Oct. 28
Tickets: $18, student and senior discounts
Information: 612-623-9396,
burninghousegroup.org
Capsule: Intriguing and creepy enough
to become a Halloween staple.
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