Raising a martini glass as if to salute the gothic morbidity of her family, her mansion and her millions, Mrs. Pascal, the matriarch of what has to be one of the freakiest families ever to take the stage at Theatre~Intime, declares, "Conversation! That can only get you in trouble!"
Appropriately, this production of Wendy MacLeod's "The House of Yes" begins in the middle of a conversational thicket.
The Pascal family, long-since soured by death and sexual intrigue, has developed a number of biting, cruel, even murderous ways of communicating with one another, with the outside world, and with the past.
From the opening moments, the audience knows it has come upon an explosive combination of Freudian anxiety and moral collapse.
Set on a stormy Thanksgiving evening, Marty Pascal, (Nick Pukstas '04) returns home with Lesley, (Ashley Frankson '03) his new fiancee. Lesley's awe at the stately fineries of the Pascal mansion fades quickly, though, as she meets the family.
Lurking about the mansion are younger brother Anthony (Derek Chan '04) a sexually-frustrated simpleton, the supercilious Mrs. Pascal, (Lindsay Garrenton '01) and Marty's intellectual and lunatic twin sister (Hollis Witherspoon '04) who goes by the name Jackie-O and confuses her own family narrative with the former First Lady's.
When the inclement weather knocks out the power and cuts short Thanksgiving dinner, Mrs. Pascal retreats into the darkness, leaving the four young characters to pass the evening.
With thunder clapping dramatically and the house, by Mrs. Pascal's own observation, on the verge of collapse, the sordid family secrets of Lesley's future in-laws are revealed.
Director Erin Gilley '02 brought "The House of Yes" to Princeton after seeing the 1997 Mark Water's film that is based on the play.
"Not much weird theater gets done here," Gilley said. "This is not experimental, but it's not realism. It's twisted, funny, poignant, fast-paced and definitely a departure from the standards that dominate the Intime stage."
Garrenton, who not only acts in the play but also sat on the committee that chose it for production, also supported the idea of staging the play.
"There were 23 proposals for seven main stage productions," he explained. "We wanted a balanced season, so we decided to take a chance on a type of theater that's never been done here before."
Pukstas, who is one of three freshmen in the cast, also found the off-key script enthralling.
"I was in 'The Secret Garden,' which was really wholesome," he said. "This is my chance to be unwholesome."
However, more than the bizarre nature of the play attracted Gilley's attention. She found the themes, characters, and politics of "The House of Yes" especially appropriate for a Princeton audience.
"This show is about the upper-classes and is essentially anti-elitist," she said. "We even imagined Anthony as a Princeton dropout — like President Kennedy. These are people who, for their entire lives, have gotten everything they wanted. Their lives are filled with affirmatives: Yes you can have this, yes you can have that."
However, these constant affirmatives fail to be life-affirming. As Jackie-O opines about the Kennedys, "I think they're lucky. They're all dead."
"The House of Yes" faces tough competition this weekend with Princeton University Players' "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," Princeton Shakespeare Company's "Taming of the Shrew" and Princeton South Asian Theatrics' "Chasing Anjali" all playing simultaneously.
Clocking in at an hour and half, "The House of Yes" hopes to attract not only those who relish quirky theater, but seniors seeking a short, satisfying reprieve from their claustrophobic carrels.
"The House of Yes" will be performed Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. in Theatre~Intime. In addition, the play will run a second weekend April 5-7 at 8 p.m. with a matinee on April 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $8 for faculty and seniors and $10 for general admission.
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