The Monster in the Hall – Inis Nua Theatre Company

The Monster in the Hall, Photo by Plate 3 Photography.

By Amanda VanNostrand.

Coping: we all do it. Whether coping with small daily struggles or lifelong trauma, humans have a knack for formulating ways to move on and through difficulties. Whether the ways in which one copes are healthy or unhealthy can be irrelevant, for coping allows humans to exist amidst their pain and that is sometimes all that matters. Directed by Claire Moyer, The Monster in the Hall is a story about coping, and Inis Nua Theatre Company does a phenomenal job with this tale. Between now and October 21st it can be seen at The Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, and is an account that all can relate to in some way(s).

Music, comedy, and pure talent take the audience through Duck’s (Claris Park) and Duke’s (Doug Durlacher) struggles. The two have been grieving for 13 years over the loss of Duck’s mother, Duke’s wife. She was killed in a motorcycle accident and the two have since done their best to move on and live a healthy lifestyle. Duke struggles with Multiple Sclerosis, and Duck struggles with being a teenage girl without a mother while taking care of her sick father. A social worker is planning to review their situation up close and personal through a visit to their home, and the audience is taken through their attempts to make their life seem ‘normal’ to their impending visitor. Both live their lives with their heads in something unrealistic: whether writing their life into a fantasy and reading fantasy novels (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Twilight grace their bookshelves), or spending hours playing Other World each night in order to create a fanciful reality, Duck and Duke find ways to escape from the truth: they are not doing well. Their motto seems to be something along the lines of, everything will be fine if you don’t think about it.

This story can really cause viewers to take pause and reconsider their own coping mechanisms. Upon hearing Duke proclaim that his password to Other World is ‘Voldemort’, hearing that Duck writes daily about herself as a princess and her father as a Beast, while the realistic sound of the fatal motorcycle accident plays audially each time characters are forced to face a problem, can give viewers a forced look into the human instinct to internally transform their lives into something they are not in order to avoid painful realities. A line from the show sums this up nicely: “A race against yourself – that’s a race you’re never going to win.” The human body and brain can only do so much coping until problems catch up. Eleni Delopoulos portrays Mrs. Linda Underhill, the social worker who comedically comes and gives the family leaflets to solve their problems. Her role is eye-opening to the contrast between her intentions and the needs of the family (though in the end she seems to redeem herself). One of Duck’s concluding thoughts about her life – her question of, would she be prettier or happier if she had been raised in another castle? is one that all can relate to. What if each ill fortune could be relived and our lives formulated into exactly what we currently wish for our past selves? A question that none ever answer, but all dream of. This story seems very real…

…This story seems very real until the cast bursts into hysterical songs and monologues. There are melodies and comical scenes about everything from Duck’s high school crush, to her game show-like interview about Multiple Sclerosis, to Duke and his friends acting (in a beyond funny manner) as avatars in their Other World, to how to make macaroni and cheese pie (while pretending not to be blind). The audience’s laughter grows loud as these scenes pop up unexpectedly and take them from feeling guilty and reflective over their own coping methods, to forgetting all about these gut-wrenching truths and simply enjoying and laughing hard at the songs and words. The Monster in the Hall is entirely unique in its storytelling.

The cast of The Monster in the Hall is made up of four actors, and each are stellar. Claris Park plays the role of Duck and her singing voice is splendid while her ability to switch from serious to silly, from her role of caretaker to sixteen-year-old, is quite impressive. Doug Durlacher as Duke is great as well. He plays a blind man, father, and avatar with precision. He is funny, and he is excellent in this role. Eleni Delopoulos as ‘Ensemble’ plays Duke’s Norwegian avatar friend, the social worker Linda Underhill, and a consistent musical presence. Her comedy is perfect for this role. At one point she switches between Norwegian stranger to Linda Underhill and does it as perfectly as she can, though thankfully not entirely perfect, and brings much laughter to the room. She is endearing and wonderful in this part. Lastly, Jamison Foreman plays Duck’s high school crush, a loveable boy struggling with his sexuality. (Though he does not think so.) Foreman is also Musical Director, a job that it is apparent he excels at. He participates in the music throughout and acts well and in his own comedic manner, faultlessly completing this quartet of actors.

Lastly, the scenic design (Apollo Mark Weaver) deserves mention. My first thought was, “this is what the inside of my head looks like.” Strings weave back and forth from one end of the room to the other in a haphazard design, with hanging clothing from bras, shirts, underwear, socks, etc. and hanging pots, pans, and mugs. The floor is made of two unleveled platforms, one resting angled on the other. Beneath the platforms are garbage bags, pizza boxes, and anything else you can imagine a family not throwing away in due time. Lastly, the bookshelf holds books of purely fictional natures: much of the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings (including The Hobbit), the illustrated version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and more that were less identifiable to this reviewer, were all laying in no order whatsoever on the shelves. This set is a portrayal of Duck and Duke and their life together, and it being the first thing the audience absorbs upon walking in, it is perfectly well done.

This show can not be spoken of highly enough. It combines a deep message with authentic comedy and storytelling. More shows should reflect the quality of The Monster in the Hall.

Advisory: strong language
Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission
Inis Nua Theatre Company’s The Monster in the Hall will be playing at The Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake until October 21st, 2018. The theater is located at 302 South Hicks Street (near 15th and Spruce) Philadelphia, PA. For tickets contact the box office at (215) 454-9776 or click here.