Ten Dollar House
Written by Rick Kinnebrew and Martha Meyer
at Piccolo Theatre, Evanston (map)
thru Jan 31 | tix: $ | more info
Check for half-price tickets
An amusing tale of unlikely love in the Cornwall of the Midwest
Pride Films and Plays presents
Ten Dollar House
Review by Clint May
Preservation is not only the goal of the couple at the center of Ten Dollar House, but one of the goals Pride Films & Plays as well. A pleasantly gentle—and genteel—true life story is kept alive here, with an earnest story of love amidst the Cornish stone houses of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Technically, Ten Dollar debuted in Wisconsin, but some extensive rewrites indicates that for most intents and purposes, this is a new production. Rick Kinnebrew and Martha Meyer find humor and heart in this feel-good romance that resists most of the tropes we associate with stories of homoseuxal love set in the 1930s.
While scouting for a future as an antiques dealer, Bob espies the handsome Edgar (Joe Anderson) and enlists him to help in the restoration of a rundown historic house (purchased for that ten dollars, but of course it’s the taxes that getcha). Neal is all earthy masculinity in stark contrast to Bob’s effete inclinations, but they strike up a friendship that blossoms fitfully into a decades-spanning affection. Bob’s dream of an antique shop is thwarted into success by his excellent Cornish cooking and a travelogue shout out that pays as much attention to saffron cakes as Chippendale chairs.
What’s most intriguing about Ten Dollar House is that the conflict of homosexual desires with uptight locals never occurs but in allusions. Every bit of conflict is internally generated. Edgar’s heterosexual façade keeps him running whenever he indulges his desires, and he fears a reputation that no one else seems to care much about in the outside world (though we know they do). Slightly less organic is the dramatic tension that arises when William tells Bob he should be trying to get a sugar daddy instead of having a fling with “the help.”
Kinnebrew and Meyer’s script hews closely to the major beats as they tweak history for necessary theatrical effect. There’s hints of Noël Coward in the wry repartee of dialogue, though upon learning of the fascinating decades between their meeting and their retirement in 1970, one wishes another act had been added to show just how much influence these two had on the city. Not only did they preserve several homes, they turned Mineral Point into a haven for starving artists who avoided their hunger with the couple’s leftovers. Chicago’s own Chris Jones did an exposé in 2003, and I’m forced to wonder how attitudes there have changed in the intervening years.
The real star of Ten Dollar House is Sawa, whose comic timing and aloofness mingled with vulnerability imbues the entire production with warmth and heart. Anderson plays the “straight” man (no pun intended) with grace if a little flat for a would-be artist. Chiola gets to show off a little with a show-stopping turn as Bob’s aunt teaching him the fine art of pastry making.
This is a crowd-pleasing if somewhat inconsequential offering that benefits enormously from the chemistry of its cast. It wants nothing more than to tell a sweet love story of two men who created an enclave of their own, though I’m left with the nagging sense that it might have been more. Maybe I’ve just been conditioned by years of gay love stories being filled with antagonism and it’s hard to accept the simplicity as presented. As I’m sure Bob and Edgar would tell us, nothing wrong with some hearty comfort food in the midst of winter.
Rating: ★★½
Ten Dollar House continues through January 31st at Evanston’s Piccolo Theatre, 600 Main (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $22-$27, and are available by phone (800-737-0984) or online through Vendini.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at PrideFilmsAndPlays.com. (Running time: 2 hours, includes an intermission)
Photos by Paul Goyette
artists
cast,
Scott Patrick Sawa (Bob Neal), Joe Anderson (Edgar Hellum), Tom Chiola (William Gundry), Jean Marie Koon (Marjorie King), Mindy Barber (Betty Cass)
behind the scenes
Michael D. Graham (director), Joshua D. Allard (costume design), Sarah Lewis (set design), Kallie Rolison (sound design), Aimee Warshal (lighting design), Paul Goyette (photos)
Bob Neal and Edgar Hellum
Image Courtesy of Mineral Point Public Library
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