Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“Widowers’ Houses” Ridicules Gentrification, at Aurora, Berkeley

“Widowers’ Houses” Ridicules Gentrification, at Aurora, Berkeley

March 1, 2018 Michael V. Rodriguez

Millennial Notes

Bernard Shaw’s Comedy Dissects Dirty Deals

by Michael V. Rodriguez

But what about the widowers and the widows? Who are they? What about the tenants and their children? Where will the working class live when their derelict apartments are renovated and rented to the gentry? We leave the Aurora Theatre with these unsolved problems as the giant video screen displays photos of the homeless encampments in front of Berkeley City Hall.

Dan Hoyle and Megan Trout.  Photos by David Allen

“Widowers’ Houses” shows us the lavish lives of fabulously rich landowners in Victorian England. The sets are decked with floating plants, prim white chairs and tables, fine china, towering bookcases—upper crust paraphernalia of the late 1800s. Four privileged British travelers on tour treat their waiter (knife-eyed Sarah Mitchell) like a punching bag. The rich setting promises a splendid bourgeois love story, but a financial discrepancy threatens to tear the rich from their comfort.

Tipsy Dr. Harry Trench (cocky Dan Hoyle) and his bro Cokane (energetic Michael Gene Sullivan) holiday near the Rhine in Germany. Trench spots the demure Blanche (penetrating Megan Trout) and his flirtations meet little resistance. Even Blanche’s finicky father Sartorius (staunch, committed Warren David Keith) finds their union financially suitable—and the Trench-Sartorius wedding is set.

Warren David Keith and Megan Trout

Millennials will note that Victorians regard marriage primarily as a transference of property. Although the love between Trench and Blanche is strong, love cannot conquer all. A greater force looms in the background: Greed. The ruthless incentive for capitalist profit stifles Trench and Blanche’s love.

Back in London, Sartorius’ sleazy rent-collector, Lickcheese (hellishly funny Howard Swain), threatens to tear down the marriage. Poverty-stricken Lickcheese reveals the deplorable details of Sartortius’ rent scheme. Trench, appalled at the discovery, tries desperately to justify his implication in Sartorius’ slums.

Dan Hoyle, Michael Gene Sullivan, and Warren David Keith

Shaw’s brilliant writing depicts the origin of gentrification and the people capable of so putrid a scheme. “Widowers’ Houses” show us the roots of gentrification: egoism and avarice. I wondered about the relevance of Shaw’s 126-year-old play. Then I remembered what Sun Tzu said in The Art of War: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

After a few days of reflection, I realized that I, too, live in the “Widowers’ Houses” of Berkeley. Director Joy Carlin has made it is clear to me why this work has stood the test of time.

 

“Widower’s Houses” by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Joy Carlin, at Aurora Theatre, Berkeley, through Sunday March 4, 2018. Info: auroratheatre.org

Cast: Michael Gene Sullivan, Dan Hoyle, Sarah Mitchell, Warren David Keith, Megan Trout, and Howard Swain


Millennial Notes, Plays
Berkeley, business, gentrification, homelessness, love, poverty, Shaw, Victorian slumlords

Post navigation

NEXT
“Ragtime,” the Musical, Stuns and Wows, at Berkeley Playhouse
PREVIOUS
“Between Us” Breaks Down the Barriers, at TheatreFIRST, Berkeley
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Current Shows

  • “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Casts Jazz Age Spell—Streaming Netflix
  • “The Human Ounce” Assesses Art and the Artist—Streaming Central Works
  • “Curly Fries” Softens Torments of Pandemic Life—Streaming CAL
  • “I Am Sending You the Sacred Face”: A Tour de Force from East Village Closet—Streaming TiQ
  • “Haunting of Alice Bowles” Merges Murder & Macabre—Streaming Original, UK
  • “Fully Committed” Exposes Elite Abuse of Essential Workers—Streaming Los Altos Stage
  • “Holiday Sauce…Pandemic!” Stirs Sex into “O Holy Night”—Streaming SF Curran
  • “The Big Island” Reveals Sordid Underbelly of Paradise–Streaming Rhino
  • “The Path Back to Me”: Two Unique Female Journeys—Streaming The Pear
  • “The Light” Explores Black Gender Conflicts—Streaming Shotgun
  • “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” Rings in the Holiday–Streaming CCCT
  • “Still at Risk”: A Stylish, Savvy Comedy Combats Virus—Streaming NCTC
  • “The Jewelry Box” Overflows with Joy & Love—Streaming SF Playhouse
  • > > Streaming Theater > > Update: December 1
  • “Overlooked Latinas” Reveres Legendary Women—Streaming Rhino

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading
© 2021   All Rights Reserved.