RADIANT VERMIN

What Would You Be Willing to Do for a Free Dream House?

Presented by 5^th Wall Theatre

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: The Basement, 300 East Broad St, RVA 23219

Performances: March 14-30, 2024

Ticket Prices: $22

Info: https://5thwalltheatre.ludus.com/index.php or https://www.5thwalltheatre.org/

Unaffordable housing. Gentrification. Homelessness. These are serious issues that Philip Ridley has addressed in a two-act dark comedy, a satire that crosses the line from morality to immorality again and again and again.

Jill and Ollie are expecting their first child, but they reside in a drug and crime ridden neighborhood – Red Ocean Terrace. One day they receive a miracle; a hand-delivered letter offers the too-good-to-be-true deal of a free house. The house is in need of renovation, and therein lies the thick of the plot. The young couple accidentally discovers an unorthodox method of renovating their house, room by room. This involves Ollie driving the streets in search of anonymous homeless “renovators” – the “vermin” of the title. (For an explanation of the “radiant” part, you’ll need to see the show to figure it out.)

5^th Wall’s Creative Producer, Kaitlin Paige Longoria, plays the role of Jill and Matt Mitchell is Ollie. Longoria wears a child-like dress with short socks and a bow in her hair, while Mitchell wears a button down shirt and – I think – khakis. Jill is a bit manipulative, and Matt somewhat of a push-over. They both look fresh, clean cut, and innocent, and speak clearly in standard English, all of which makes their nefarious renovation activities all the more creepy.

Miss Dee, their ersatz realtor/benefactor, who represents a government program for Social Regeneration Through the Creation of Dream Homes, knows entirely too much about them. Ollie seems to protest briefly, but then both he and Jill all too easily accept that Miss Dee seems to have psychic abilities. But it’s worse than that. Miss Dee’s red coat subtly or not-so-subtly reminds us of Satan, and at the end she addresses the audience with a stack of contracts and offers for us to accept.

Emily Adler, who plays the snide and omniscient Miss Dee, also briefly takes on the role of Kay, one of the homeless “renovators.” This scene brought me near tears, as Kay, after sharing the testimony of her traumatic childhood and life on the streets, gladly offers herself as a sacrifice, giving Jill a kiss on the cheek before heading off to meet her demise at the end of Ollie’s “magic wand.” Whew!

As disturbing as it was, I was able to follow the story and found a certain clarity and logic until the end, when Jill and Ollie held a garden party – “the birthday party from hell,” for their son’s first birthday. During the party, they enact the roles of all the guests – their nearby neighbors – using different body language and accents for each couple. This section was simultaneously hilarious and even more disturbing than the main storyline that led up to it. It was as if the characters morphed and time-travelled from a Get Out situation to a Monty Python platform, from a classic morality play to a really bad Saturday Night Live skit.

Radiant Vermin is performed with a minimalistic set designed by Daniel Allen. A simple white wall – wainscotting or molding, I think it’s called – and a trio of  matching white boxes with hinged lids that hold the few simple props, such as some candle sticks and party hats. There is no other furniture and we depend on the actors to create the changes of scene.

Both Ollie and Jill frequently speak directly to the audience, as does Miss Dee at the end. Ollie and Jill share the task of narrating the story, starting after the birth of their first child, then going back in time in an extended flashback with breaks to inform the audience of the changes in time and location.

During the garden party, Ollie experiences a mental breakdown and when they are alone Jill begins to see and hear things, and is eventually overcome by a choking sensation that we can attribute to her conscience. Ollis is also briefly overcome by this choking, but neither of them is willing to give up their pursuit of more and more material things, even if it costs them everything.

Radiant Vermin leaves much to the audience’s imagination, and Longoria and Mitchell prove to be pretty effective story tellers. Director Morrie Piersol successfully lures us in so that we barely realize when we begin to support the atrocities committed by this oh-so-ordinary couple and we feel uncomfortable – and rightly so – when this is brought to our attention. I could hardly believe two hours had passed at the end of the show. If you have a strong moral compass, this show may not be for you. But if you are intrigued by the weird or enjoy psychological thrillers, or – like me – have a penchant for reading about mass murderers, this might just be your cup of tea.

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Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County. When not writing about theater, she teaches dance history at VCU and low impact dance fitness classes to seasoned movers like herself, and occasionally performs.

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RADIANT VERMIN

Written by Philip Ridley

Directed by Morrie Piersol

CAST

Jill                               ……….           Kaitlin Paige Longoria

Ollie                           ……….           Matt Mitchell

Miss Dee & Kay     ……….           Emily Adler

PRODUCTION TEAM

Directed by               ……….            Morrie Piersol

Produced by             ……….            Tom Kazas

Scenic Design by     ……….            Daniel Allen

Lighting Design by  ……….            Michael Jarett

Sound Design by      ……….            Roger Price

Costume Design by ……….            Kayli Warner

Vocal Coach           ……….            Amanda Durst

Technical Director   ……….            William Luther

Stage Management by ….             Jamie Wilson

Asst Stage Management by          Constance Moreau

Front of House Manager …           D.J Cummings

Photos by                  ……….           Tom Topinka

Performance Schedule:

● Opening Night – March 14, 2024 at 7:30 PM

● Running Thursday – Friday – Saturday at 7:30 PM through March 30, 2024

● Running Sundays at 2:00 PM through March 23, 2024

Tickets:

$22

Run Time: about 2 hours with one intermission