REVIEW: Old Globe Theatre has world premiere of “Whisper House”
“We are here to say, that all of this is real,” sing the dapperly-dressed ghosts of “Whisper House,” the highly anticipated musical that got its world premiere at the Old Globe Theatre last week.
The WWII-set play, running though Feb. 21, tells the story of an 11-year-old boy sent to live with his aunt in a New England lighthouse after his aviator father is killed in action by the Japanese and his mother suffers a nervous breakdown.
The play comes from rocker Duncan Sheik (co-written with Kyle Arrow), whose first journey into theater led to “Spring Awakening,” the 2006 Tony-winning musical about teenage confusion that wowed critics and fans with its mash-up of 19th-century aesthetics and contemporary rock songs.
While that play exploded from the stage, with the large cast breaking into songs that would easily blend into the playlist of any alternative rock station, “Whisper House,” seems to do the opposite, closing in on itself to create an air of mystery and paranoia and a sense of loss that permeates the piece.
As the boy, Christopher, longs for home, he clashes with his closely guarded aunt Lilly, winningly portrayed by Mare Winningham.
Because the lighthouse is a sensitive point of national security during the play’s wartime era, she’s told she has to dismiss her Japanese helper, Yasuhiro (Arthur Acuña), who Christopher suspects — based on tips from the ghosts — may be a spy.
The singing in “Whisper House” is left up to two unnamed ghosts, played by David Poe and Holly Brook, who wander through the lighthouse while the other characters go along their non-musical lives.
Only young Christopher (A.J. Foggiano) can hear their songs — they are accompanied by a full orchestra decked out as departed souls that play mostly behind a scrim — or see their actions, though what the ghosts can and can’t physically do is not clearly defined.
Both Poe and Brook, professional recording artists, have strong and unique voices that well serve the songs, mostly atmospheric ballads that bear some of the trademarks of Sheik’s pre-theater recordings.
“Whisper House,” is a rewarding experience, a subtle mood piece filled with empty spaces that leaves it up to the viewers to fill in. It could, however, benefit from a few more variety in the songs to break up the piece (“The Tale of Solomon Snell” which details the fall of an overly cautious man accomplishes that).
“Whisper House” is directed by Peter Askin. Jason Hart is the musical director and Wesley Fata directs the dance.
Tickets are $36-89. For more information, click
.