In 2004, Sarah Ruhl wrote a charming and empowering piece called “The Clean House.” That same year it won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
It is the tale of a Brazilian maid named Mathilde, the daughter of two comedians. However, her father played a joke on Mathilde’s mother, which unfortunately killed her.
Her father then killed himself in despair. This story is about pain, denial, exposure and death.
Eastern Michigan University will be performing “The Clean House,” which opens tonight at 8p.m. in the Quirk Lab Theater.
It continues Tuesday and Wednesday at 8p.m. and Thursday at 5p.m.
“I really think that the play is about that space where laughter and tears become virtually indistinguishable,” said director Charles Jabour.
Jabour has directed other plays such as “Central Park West,” “Three Days of Rain” and the “Laramie Project” at EMU.
This play is about taking a good look at yourself and seeing who you really are. It is about peeling away the layers until you find what you are looking for.
“I love the scenes where every character is forced to be honest with themselves,” said Marissa Kurtzhals. Kurtzhals plays Lane, a doctor who hires Mathilde to be her maid. But instead of cleaning in the traditional sense, Mathilde starts cleaning up the family.
People are digging deep and coming away with real life drama and heartbreak.
“It is at times heartbreaking and others hilarious, and really forces us to get comfortable with the fact that life is dirty,” said Jabour.
The script presents an intense look at real life, forcing the audience to look at the good and horrible times.
“The message of this show is what it means to really love someone and let your loved ones see what you’re feeling,“ said Esther Jentzen of the Early College Alliance. Jentzen plays the tragic, yet comedic Mathilde.
Author Sarah Ruhl did a wonderful job with this script. She deserved her awards for the simple fact the readers and audience are forced to see life in a whole different shade. Freshman Rachel Burford agreed.
“Life is never black and white,” she said. “The gray areas are vast but invisible, unless you’re brave enough to look. That is what every character has to do in this play—look for the gray!”
