American playwright Brian Parks is a Fringe favourite who writes a unique brand of fast-paced, anarchically subversive humour with a surreal twist.
While The House is a less overtly political work than much of his oeuvre, it can be regarded as making some acerbic comments on the state of the US nation today.
The set-up is deceptively simple. An older dentist and his wife played by David Calvitto and Pauline Goldsmith have decided to downsize and are selling their house to hand-picked members of the next generation.
Oliver Tilney and Alex Sunderhaus respectively play a financier and attorney who seem like perfect candidates to respect the house and its traditions.
Slowly, though, they begin to hint at minor adjustments—a little red paint and a kitchen extension. In doing so, they open the flood barriers to a torrent of wild comedy that is extremely funny but also says so much about the materialism that has become the prime motivating force for so many around the globe today.