Dave Malloy's THREE HOUSES at Signature

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/14/24 at 3:49pm

https://signaturetheatre.org/show/three-houses/

"Susan has fled to Latvia. Sadie hides in New Mexico. Beckett longs for Ireland. All three are alone; all three are haunted by their grandparents; all three hear the Big Bad Wolf scratching at the door. Three Houses is a post-pandemic open mic night parable about magic, madness, and the end of the world."

Runs April 30 through June 9, and tickets are on sale now.

[yyys]

Posted: 3/14/24 at 4:31pm

any idea of running time?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/14/24 at 8:07pm

Dave writes, I buy.

That's how this relationship works.

Can't wait!

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/16/24 at 11:55am

TaffyDavenport said: "https://signaturetheatre.org/show/three-houses/

"Susan has fled to Latvia. Sadie hides in New Mexico. Beckett longs for Ireland.All three are alone; all three are haunted by their grandparents; all three hear the Big Bad Wolf scratching at the door. Three Houses is a post-pandemic open mic night parable about magic, madness, and the end of the world."

Runs April 30 through June 9, and tickets are on sale now."

Thank you so much!  Just got my tickets.  Had no idea this was even in their season. How did I miss a new Dave Malloy??  (I need to wash The Witches out of my mouth so this is well needed.)

[sm33]

Posted: 4/2/24 at 4:58pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Dave writes, I buy.

That's how this relationship works.

Can't wait!"

Same here... going in May and I can't wait. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/30/24 at 7:32pm

Anyone going tonight? Need details! ;-)

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/30/24 at 8:33pm

In case people didn't see, running time was posted to be 100 minutes, no intermission

[WindyNewYorker]

Posted: 4/30/24 at 11:03pm

Would appreciate if someone can share about the orchestration. Thank you.

[TheOldRedHillsOfHome]

Posted: 4/30/24 at 11:10pm

Still digesting this from tonight. I really enjoyed it and am so happy to have seen another Malloy(/Tippe) show.  

 

But to answer this:

WindyNewYorker said: "Would appreciate if someone can share about the orchestration. Thank you."

The orchestration was a piano/electric home organ double, violin, cello, and French horn joined by some electronics. 
It was a really cool sounding ensemble that was used very well

 

[round2]

Posted: 5/2/24 at 2:52pm

Any new reports from THREE HOUSES? I hope to get in to see it before it closes.

[LeftofLinus]

Posted: 5/2/24 at 5:54pm

I saw this last night, and I really had a lovely adventure. In terms of score, it was a mix of Ghost Quartet and the electronic elements of Great Comet. I think the show collectively was a cathartic release of emotion over the four years for everyone in the audience. I know I laughed, cried, and both dreaded and longed to once again live in isolation. 

Annie Tippe's storytelling ability through direction is astounding, and I found myself falling deeper and deeper into a trance of enchantment throughout the first two "houses." The third was not nearly as engaging for me, but it did come together in the end—I just don't think I'm a huge JD Mollison fan, to be honest —he was my least favorite part of Octet as well. Margo Seibert and Mia Pak are breathtaking in this; they sound fantastic and act the **** out of everything they are given.  Also, Ching Valdes-Aran and Henry Stram turned what I thought would be along the lines of the "character actor" tracks in "Here we Are" to some of the most emotional moments of the night.  Ching's karaoke number, in particular, really was gorgeous. Scott Stangland was very Scott Stangland, and that is not at all a bad thing - he was perfect for the role. 

I've been thinking about it all day and would certainly like to see it again once everyone settles into it and the show is frozen. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 5/8/24 at 12:56am

Saw this tonight and it's one of those shows I feel like I was a little lost for most of it but just went along for the ride and fully enjoyed it.  Annie Tippe came out before the show just to say thanks for coming and that they're implementing changes every day so I'd definitely want to come again once the show is frozen to see what they landed on.

The music had a lot of Great Comet tinges in some of the melodies (particularly the Natasha songs) and also the electronic elements come into play in some places.  The show is basically just each successive character coming up to the open mic to tell their story (and each one represents a "house") and the other actors fill in as other elements of the story (Harry Stram and Ching Valdes-Aran play essentially the same roles in each story), and the ending sort of brings it all to a conclusion (not sure if I fully got what they were going for but it sure FELT profound).  I did enjoy the music quite a bit--there are some beautiful melodies and harmonies, but it's also much more of the narrative driven style rather than having choruses that repeat.

I actually thought JD Mollison's story felt different in an interesting way.  Not that the first two are that similar either, but from the beginning his felt "charged" and I might've sat up a bit just to see what was going to happen (also probably because there had been two stories already so there was a pattern established, so it was up to the third to either make or break that pattern, which just lends an extra level of intrigue to me).

I kind of wish I had looked at the digital program a bit before the show as the name of Scott Stangland's character might have influenced how I saw the show (though I can see how some people would prefer to go in completely blind).  The flyer with the QR code that gets handed to you has some basic information of the show but doesn't actually list the character names.  To be fair I was a bit slow on the uptake for one part of the show that should've been more obvious to me earlier too.

An interesting breakdown for the orchestra: piano/organ, violin, cello, and French horn.  The musicians sit on stage when playing and occasionally leave the stage for parts of the show, and there are some pre-recorded tracks that play in conjunction as well.

I really think a second watch would be very helpful in understanding the piece a bit more, as the stories do meander and I keep remembering other bits of them that end up changing my perception of the show as a whole and what each character is really saying.  The vibe reminds me a little bit of Wet Brain (though they're still two very different shows), and ultimately I think this is a fantastic example of a show that is kind of a quintessential off-Broadway show in how much it plays around with what it's doing.

[WindyNewYorker]

Posted: 5/8/24 at 11:34am

Saw the show and thought the orchestra and sonic design seemed thin. The band is even smaller than Lempicka. Wish there was an oboe, a bassoon, or a trombone to create a more complex music underscore, based on what I have heard. 

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 5/8/24 at 12:29pm

chrishuyen said: "Saw this tonight and it's one of those shows I feel like I was a little lost for most of it but just went along for the ride and fully enjoyed it.

that reminds me a bit of my reaction to the production of Great Comet I saw last month. The story is so complicated with so many moving parts that I was almost confused at times, but the music and cast were so engaging that I couldn't help but get swept up in it all. 

If this new Malloy show is anything like that,  count me in.

 

[steve.sometime]

Posted: 5/8/24 at 1:35pm

I saw it last Saturday. This honestly feels like an extension of Octet, which I loved. Octet had 8 characters telling their stories. Three Houses introduced 3 more, only that each story is now half an hour long. Maybe it's me not being emotionally ready to relive the trauma of the pandemic; maybe the stories did meander a bit too much and lacked a punch, I was left unsatisfied. Obviously the show is still in preview and a lot could improve, but at the moment, it feels like 2.5-star material elevated by great direction and design to a 3.5 star experience.

[Owen22]

Posted: 5/8/24 at 10:46pm

LeftofLinus said: "The third was not nearly as engaging for me, but it did come together in the end—I just don't think I'm a huge JD Mollison fan, to be honest —he was my least favorite part of Octet as well.Margo Seibert and Mia Pak are breathtaking in this; they soundfantastic and act the **** out of everything they aregiven."

See, the third house was easily my favorite, but I did really love the first and second alot as well. Great little piece. Love a Malloy score that sounds like a Malloy score!

 

[schubox]

Posted: 5/8/24 at 11:50pm

steve.sometime said: "I saw it last Saturday. This honestly feels like an extension of Octet, which I loved. Octet had 8 characters telling their stories.Three Houses introduced3 more, only that each story is now half an hour long. Maybe it's me not being emotionallyready to relive the trauma of the pandemic; maybe the stories did meander a bittoo much and lacked a punch, I was left unsatisfied. Obviously the show is still in preview and a lot could improve, but at the moment, it feels like 2.5-star material elevated by great direction and design to a 3.5 star experience."

Saw it tonight and this is basically where I am at. Thematically it ft like a pseudo sequel to Octet. Like almost all of Malloy’s stuff there were moments of brilliance and moments where it got to be a bit too much.
 

Some of the first house stuff had a lot of the Great Comet it in musically. At least the Sonya stuff for Comet. I did enjoy it, but it didn’t hit me nearly as hard as Octet did, and it wasn’t as musically as satisfying as Comet, Moby Dick, or Octet. But I’ll take Malloy over pretty much anyone else and I’m really glad I saw it. There were a few parts that still hit me pretty hard. 

[BETTY22]

Posted: 5/9/24 at 7:52am

Endlessly dull. When dd theatre become afraid of show tunes? 

[raddersons]

Posted: 5/9/24 at 12:01pm

BETTY22 said: "Endlessly dull. Whendd theatre become afraid of show tunes?"

This kind of comment is basically a guarantee I'll love this show. Can't wait!

[Ptero2]

Posted: 5/9/24 at 12:29pm

The song towards the end of the first house (“The Berries and the Plums” or something along those lines) was incredible. Can’t wait to go back.

[schubox]

Posted: 5/9/24 at 3:46pm

Ptero2 said: "The song towards the end of the first house (“The Berries and the Plums” or something along those lines) was incredible. Can’t wait to go back."

I am pretty sure that was the name. I was sat immediately behind the french horn player so I was looking at all the song titles 

[raddersons]

Posted: 5/17/24 at 11:39pm

What is there to say? Dave does it again. The songs “haze” and “love always leaves you in the end” are sure to be on repeat for everyone when this recording inevitably comes out.

fyi I loved the little easter egg when Margo sang “Refresh” in the exact way she did during Octet.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/17/24 at 11:48pm

I loved this. Malloy continues to be one of our finest contemporary musical theatre writers.

Exquisitely directed, and the 4-piece orchestration sounds so wonderful in that space.

May it be our only musical about the horrors of the pandemic era 🙃

[raddersons]

Posted: 5/18/24 at 9:45am

FYI here is the song list from the Digital Program:

 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

First House: Susan

          intro (i)

          i. birch trees

          ii. the library

          iii. weed and wine

          iv. happy/crazy

          v. the manuscript

          vi. the berries and the plums

          vii. blood

Second House: Sadie

          intro (ii)

          i. desert

          ii. the village

          iii. dating

          iv. karaoke night

          v. too soon

          vi. quarters

          vii. haze

 Third House: Beckett

          intro (iii)

          i. new life

          ii. boxes

          iii. stones

          iv. love always leaves you in the end

          v. the visitor

          vi. the summoning

          vii. wolf dance

Coda

 

Updated On: 5/18/24 at 09:45 AM

[sm33]

Posted: 5/19/24 at 11:34pm

Organized my spring trip around seeing this show, and yeah, absolutely worth it. I liked this even more than I liked Octet, probably because the sound is a little more reminiscent of Comet/GQ and those are my favorite Malloy pieces.

Despite the fact that it's about the pandemic, something I was really not begging for a musical about, it was funny and dark and weird and specific in a way that really worked for me (like most of his work, tbh). I enjoyed the theme, the lyrical patterns that are introduced and reinforced throughout, and most of the performances - as another commenter mentioned, JD Mollison doesn't really do it for me, either.

Not sure to how to do the spoiler cut, so I'll be vague, but I will say a specific detail present in every story had me googling his personal life, and my suspicion was borne out.

Really hope we are getting a cast album!