LA Review: 'Our House'

Who needs reality when you have reality TV, and is there really a difference between news and entertainment? That's the starting point for Theresa Rebeck's "Our House," which finds the lives of four 20-something housemates in St. Louis becoming fodder for TV's most popular news program. But in its West Coast premiere, the 2009 comedy feels a bit too worn to have real bite.

Kiff Scholl directs a mostly young cast, and we're immediately caught up in the tension between aggressive couch potato Merv (Kyle Ingleman) and Alice (Rachel Germaine), a yogurt-loving type A who only asks for a little less TV, please. Oh, and maybe a few months' past-due rent. Jennifer Kenyon and JB Waterman play the two other housemates. The negotiating, manipulating, and double-dealing among this foursome are fabulously frustrating and familiar in the best way, and Scholl and the capable actors are on top of Rebeck's insightful and funny writing.

Where "Our House" misses the mark is in its story line and indictment of the media. Ajarae Coleman looks made to order as hot news anchor Jennifer, and Patrick Hancock's network hack Stu is a hoot, trying to explain to his boss Wes (Mark Belnick) that for TV networks, covering the news is, well, the law. For Wes, "Staying informed is optional." His goal is "news on our own terms," and his squeeze Jennifer is right in synch. The material here is more challenging, and it's difficult to believe Belnick as an all-powerful studio head. The charming Coleman also runs into trouble, partly because the satire is tame compared to what's going on in today's media.

The production is technically somewhat chaotic. Dan Mailley's game-board setting is colorful but a bit cumbersome, and Corwin Evans' video elements have a way to go. "Our House" has its moments, but not enough of them.

Presented by Wasatch Theatrical Ventures at the Lounge Theatre, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A. June 30–Aug. 5. Fri. and Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. (323) 960-7773 or www.plays411.com.