The deliciously demented gathering of actors, musicians, writers, techies, and directors at The Ochre House never seem to run dry when it comes to strange, stirring and marvelous ideas, often mashing ticklish hilarity with the melancholy. Written and directed by Carla Parker, Mousey happens in the bedroom of a young lady whose interest in toys is diminishing. The one she chooses to sleep with enjoys a certain status, but all in all, the toys are groping for a sense of purpose. Then Jack and his band of raucous monkeys arrive, to expose them to the possibilities of a wider cosmos. At the core of this chaos is Mrs. Mousey. She’s not as cynical the others, finding great comfort in the domestic rituals and enjoying the company of her husband: Mr. Mousey. Apart from this, she leads with an open heart, making her vulnerable and subject to manipulation.
Parker exploits the surreal quality of her vision: enormous thimble, matchbox, spool, and the humor to be found in this community of a girl’s playthings. Barb is the promiscuous Barbie Doll, Joseph the dedicated G.I. Joe, Fluffy the bohemian, stoner rabbit and Junior, a rapper suggesting Clifford the Red Dog (?). Much of the music we hear at Ochre House has the nightclub quality of ballads, torch songs and blues, and each character has their story to tell. [Please forgive My ignorance of music, if I’m mistaken.] Mrs. Mousey craves the bliss of maintaining a hearth, but her introduction to the hyperkinetic alpha monkey Jack, subversively sows the seeds of ambivalence.
Carla Parker has created a comedy that becomes a powerful examination of the archetypal assumptions that infuse our culture. Do we find our highest calling by striving for validation or giving comfort to others? Do our lives only mean something if we are loved? Is it better to seek security over the dazzling risks of adventure? Parker, in a startling, inspired, ferocious turn, ends with a kind of revelation that makes us rethink everything that came before. It seems bizarre to compare it to other shows like El Topo or Leaving Las Vegas or The Incredible Shrinking Woman or The Pillow Man; where the ache for grace and intrusion of the grotesque become something that confounds reason. Like the stigmata or The Catherine Wheel. Parker’s achievement here is sly, meticulous and stunning.
The Ochre House presents Mousey playing 18 August 2018 – 08 September 2018. 825 Exposition Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75226. 214-826-6273. www.ochrehousetheatre.org