My overall impression
Uranium Madhouse makes a striking debut with the thought provoking CONVERSATION STORM and THE HOUSE OF CARDS. In CONVERSATION STORM, director Andrew Utter successfully challenges his actors and the audience through an Ionesco-like discussion of politics and torture between between three men who, at various points, may be or have been friends, enemies, and possibly lovers.
In THE HOUSE OF CARDS, actress Yolanda Seabourne is alone on the stage as a woman who seems to have a past that would be too heavy for most to bear. While most actors have access to a play’s plot and the support of other players to expose their character to an audience, Ms. Seabourne has only a series of unconnected memories and observances to draw us in. Ms. Seabourne does this with grace and power. Adding tension to the mystery of her character’s past, Ms. Seabourne builds a house of cards throughout the entire performance. The fragility of this construction seems to make her character even more vulnerable to both her present and her past. Ms. Seabourne’s subtle and moving performance, Utter’s seamless direction, and the appropriately elegant, yet somber, set and lighting design make this a unique production that should not be missed.
