Review of ‘A Good House’: “A sharp look under the hood”

The Royal Court Theatre hosts the London premiere of this new play made in co-production with the Bristol Old Vic – exploring the struggles of racial prejudice and cultural clash through neighbour-to-neighbour relationships. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if its home-arresting narrative ends ups mortgaging itself.

The Bible teaches us to love thy neighbour. Clearly, whoever wrote that was either high (I mean, there’s some interesting stuff in there) or didn’t know about mine. Yes, I know that line was coined centuries ago, but annoying people have been around us since the dawn of time. You may be thinking that I’m the perfect example of that concept, and I applaud your bravery to say that – it’s never easy to show others to what lengths you’re able to project.

Moving on, and perhaps out too – because this month, the Royal Court is accommodating the London premiere of A Good House. Delivered in co-production with the Bristol Old Vic, this new play by author Amy Jephta establishes an engaging tale of coexistence, while hosting a wide variety of themes ranging from cultural pride to racial prejudice and class conflict.

Set in the fictional district of Stillwater, the plot revolves around three couples – all adjacent to each other. One has been in the area for so long, it’s almost as if they founded it. Another one has just relocated, in the hope of starting a new happy life. And then, there’s the third one. They’re nearly as veteran as the first household – but for some reason, they’ve never felt that way. That’s why, when their township becomes the settlement for a group of squatters in a nearby property, they can’t help but sympathize with their situation – especially, when their race is the reason people mistake them for the unexpected guests…

Grounded on a enticing premise building up to a much propitious narrative, the script takes audiences into a broadly entertaining journey – while also regaling them with a generous scoop of insightful subjects that, far from making any preachment, offers viewers a critical comment that leaves enough room for an independent point of view. All in all, properly paced and bringing a fair balance of pathos and rationale into its storytelling, the only flaw resides in its occasional lack of naturalness in some excerpts of the dialogue – sometimes, sounding slightly unrealistic as for the way the characters express the points the writer wants to make.

In any case, those are very minor blemishes in what, on the whole, is much of a solid, well-constructed recount, where the interest hardly ever goes down except for some overly experimental snippets – which seem to compromise the piece’s general structure and cohesiveness.

Nonetheless, a number of those cracks are effectively disguised by the cast’s truly compelling performances – all of them flaunting flair and chemistry all throughout. Among them, the highest praise goes to Kai Luke Brummer, for his awkwardly charming portrayal of the neurotic newcomer Andrew, as well as Sifisu Mazibuko – exuding exceptional comedic skills and a much inviting presence through his rendition as the seemingly naive, good-hearted Sihle.

With a few reforms to be carried out, A Good House has nonetheless set more than just the pillars for a rather enjoyable and stimulating account full of perceptiveness and a suitable deal of pathos in its backyard. Despite a few cliches in its execution and perhaps the absence of a more gripping ending, the play is able to provide shelter for a challenging set of ideas told through an overall likable and sometimes touching kitchen-sink story. It may have some laundering to do before it’s entirely presentable, but none of those amendments will require blueprint approval.

All pictures credit to Camilla Greenwell.

A Good House plays at London’s Royal Court until 8 February. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara