An evening of poetry set to song. It could work. It might work. It does work in the form of DREAMHOUSE. This was a welcome surprise, as there actually was a context and a construct to the piece. Described and offered up by director Ari Lauren Kreith as a song cycle, "a related group of songs, exploring a particular theme or related themes, tracing an emotional arc without relying on plot or narrative," the show delivers exactly what it promises.

The concept is rather simple. Five women sing the songs, poetry by Barbara DeCesare set to music by David Wolfson, of DREAMHOUSE. Along the way there is a lot of humor, all sorts of observations about life, love, sex and so on, and the kind of soft sadness that never dips into maudlin theatrics. There was a discernable shift in tone between acts with Act 1 being very funny and Act 2 a bit more earthly bound. Along the journey, Jennie Eisenhower stood out as the core comedienne, but all of these ladies can sing, and some of the ensemble work raised Goosebumps in a rather warm room.

DREAMHOUSE is heartily recommended as a new theatrical experience: the song cycle. With great source material in Ms. DeCesare’s witty words, and very pleasant piano to go with it, audiences are sure to experience an aural delight and laugh a lot too.

- Kessa De Santis -

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