If Jez Butterworth’s own mother ran a theater company, even she wouldn’t stage his plays as often as Paragon Theatre puts on its favorite British playwright.
Paragon, the company that never could resist a thick English accent and a little primordial literary ooze, has now staged 80 percent of Butterworth’s published catalog with its current presentation of his domestic demolition derby, “Parlour Song.”
Only this time, you have a reasonable chance of actually following what the heck they’re all on about.
Paragon co-founders Warren Sherrill and Michael Stricker are in top form here, along with company member Emily Paton Davies, delivering crisp, comic and — to the great relief of all watching — understandable characters working their way through that most common of dramatic premises — a romantic triangle between friends.
Honestly, in retrospect, I couldn’t tell you the first thing about what Butterworth’s “Night Heron” or “The Winterling” were about. Not the first thing. So it was a relief to settle in here with likable sad-sack Ned (Sherrill) and his melancholy wife, Joy (Davies), whose cul-de-sac world is crumbling.
Undoubtedly informed by the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, “Parlour Song” is about how maddeningly easy it is to destroy in seconds what it took years to build up. That could mean a structure, or a family foundation.
Ned is a demolition expert who never tires of watching tapes of his handiwork. We open, in fact, with Ned regaling goofball neighbor Dale (Stricker) with a “greatest hits” montage showing one building after another collapse into an artful nothingness.
It’s easy to identify with Ned, a poor overweight shlub whose entire life is disappearing — all except his body fat. Lest you miss the playwright’s gist, all of Ned’s belongings are being slowly pilfered from his home by an unseen thief. From his cuff links to his lawn mower to the hair on his head, Ned’s living in a “now you see it, now you don’t” world.
He’s a woefully underskilled lover but, as we discover in a touchingly comic way, he genuinely wants to learn how to satisfy his wife. Joy is a languid recluse who finds her husband ridiculous and unlovable, but in a way that’s more resigned than cruel. She’s deeply lacking something and, like thousands of wives before her, she’s not finding it in her husband. It will take but a thimbleful of dynamite for these two to go kaboom.
Dale serves as our narrator, providing stock comic relief as things deteriorate. The chain of events is never all that surprising, which, for Butterworth, is in itself a bit of a surprise — and something of a relief. The play doesn’t really announce where it’s going with all this until the second act, but the acting performances to come make it more than worth the wait.
The scenic design looks, at first, like it’s borrowed from Paragon’s two most recent productions, with its three rooms aligned side by side. But these are three rooms in the same house, lined on either side by a white picket fence that holds them all in like it’s a prison yard.
Comparisons to Pinter are common, if overly generous. This is an articulate and terribly named play — “Demolition” or “Crash” might have more actively reflected its intent. But its very premise demands a guttural, combustible climax.
Instead, “Parlour Song” ends in purposeful enigma — all we know for certain is that nothing is resolved. It’s clear that all three characters have been infiltrated with the most insidious kind of explosive — one that seeps in, slowly builds up and has no choice but to one day go off.
And yet we end not with a bang, but a fizzle. The question is, is it an intentional one?
One thing we know to be true about Butterworth, though: His follow-up play, “Jerusalem,” suffers from no such indecision. His sprawling epic that recently beguiled Broadway ends with a man bathed in hard-earned blood, sweat, burns and booze.
Kind of how you’d think this story of a self-destructing demolition expert might.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Parlour Song” *** (out of four stars)
Presented by Paragon Theatre Company at the Kim Robards Dance Theatre, 1387 S. Santa Fe Drive. Through Oct. 29. 1 hour, 50 minutes. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. $21 (Thursdays 2-for-1). 303-300-2210 or
Best bets: “Enrique’s Journey,” Cora Vette and Poe
“Enrique’s Journey”: Denver’s Chicano theater company, Su Teatro, opens its 40th season with artistic director Tony Garcia’s adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Enrique’s Journey,” which recounts the harrowing odyssey of a Honduran boy trying to reunite with his mother in the United States. The book’s celebrated author, Sonia Nazario, will also be on the Auraria campus next week as Metro State’s 2011 Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professor. She’ll deliver the keynote address at an 11 a.m. Wednesday (Oct. 19) luncheon at St. Cajetan’s Center; and a 2 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 20) panel discussion with area journalists at the Tattered Cover LoDo, 1628 16th St. Info: 303-556-3124. The play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays (plus 3 p.m. Oct. 30) though Oct. 30 at the former Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive 303-296-0219 or . John Moore
“Cora Vette’s Humpday Burlesque Show” Popular burlesque diva Cora Vette and her BurlyCuties are moving into swank new digs at Bar Standard for a new weekly Wednesday night party. The next two 8:30 p.m. shows will feature “The Return of Zombielesque,” a Halloween-themed soiree complete with stripping zombies, witches and everything in-between. There is also a separate, 11 p.m. cabaret every Wednesday called called “Cora Vette’s Naughty Bits,” featuring vintage dirty ditties from the 1900s through 1950s about sex, drugs and drinking. That’s followed by DJ Chris Fish spinning dance music until closing time. $10. 1037 Broadway, 303-295-1883 or . John Moore
“An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe”: Spend an autumn night with one of the American masters of horror at the Byers-Evans House Museum. Set in the historic home of two of Denver’s most prominent families, the Byers-Evans House Theatre Company’s reader’s-theater performance brings to life some of Poe’s freakiest tales: “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Raven” and more. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 5. 1310 Bannock St.; 303-620-4933. Tickets are $16 general admission, $14 for students, seniors and military. Tickets must be reserved in advance; call to save seats or visit Kathleen St. John
This weekend’s other theater openings
“52 Pick Up” Gemma Wilcox brings her popular theatrical game, in which the story of one couple’s relationship plays out in 52 short scenes, to Colorado Springs. The order is determined by a deck of cards that’s tossed into the air at the start. Through Oct. 23. Manitou Art Theatre, 1367 Pecan St., 719-685-4729 or
“American Night” A Mexican cramming for his U.S. citizenship exam is visited in a fever dream by historical figures who teach him lessons not found in the history books. Through Nov. 20. Presented by Culture Clash and the Denver Center Theatre Company at the Ricketson Theater, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or
“Blind Date” In this improvisational new play, Canadian performance artist Rebecca Northan plays Mimi, a clown-nosed Parisian woman who has been stood up. Every night. So she plucks an unsuspecting gentleman out of the audience to join her on stage and be her date — for 90 minutes. Presented by Denver Center Attractions at the Galleria Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or . To read our feature story,
Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories” A family-friendly collection of tales from the author of “Great Expectations.” Prizes for best audience costumes. Through Oct. 30. Arvada Festival Playhouse, 5665 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., 303-422-4090 or festivalplay
“Coronado” From Dennis Lehane (“Mystic River”) comes this tale of young ex-con and his reunion with a father who may not have his best interests at heart. A Colorado premiere. Through Oct. 30. Presented by Springs Ensemble Theatre at 1903 E. Cache La Poudre St., Colorado Springs, 719-447-1646 or
“Forever Plaid” Family-friendly musical about four dead teens whose dreams of glory come true when they miraculously return to Earth to perform classics like “Three Coins in the Fountain” and “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.” Through Dec. 4 (and returning Dec. 31-Jan. 22). Jesters Dinner Theatre, 224 Main St., Longmont, 303-682-9980 or
“Love Songs for Poomouse” Our hero (co-writer Bobby Dartt), embarks on a journey of self-discovery through a series of songs infused with a variety of appropriate and possibly inappropriate musical instruments. Through Oct. 29. Presented by square product theater at the Wesley Chapel, 1290 Folsom St., Boulder, 303-442-0234 or square
“Mauritius” In this new comedy thriller from Theresa Rebeck, two sisters and three collectors battle over a pair of rare stamps that could be worth millions. A Colorado premiere. Through Oct. 29. Presented by Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-440-7826 or boulderensemble
“A Picasso” It’s Paris, 1941, and Pablo Picasso is being interrogated by a German cultural attache who engages the famous painter in a cat-and-mouse game of art, politics, sex and truth. Through Saturday (Oct. 15). Backstage Theatre, 121 S. Ridge St., Breckenridge, 970-453-0199 or
“The Road to Mecca” The Creede Repertory Theatre brings Athol Fugard’s South African drama to the Arvada Center. Christy Brandt stars as an eccentric who transforms her home into a strange work of art that threateans her community. Through Nov. 6. At 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, 720-898-7200 or
“The Rocky Horror Show” Brad, Janet, alien transsexuals from the planet Transylvania and Dr. Frank N. Furter. Songs include “Time Warp.” Through Oct. 29. 73rd Avenue Theatre Company, 7287 Lowell Blvd., Westminster, 720-276-6936 or
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of the latest theater news:
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
