A standing ovation was the least that the crowd at Sunday’s matinee of “The Clean House” could offer.
In some cases, even that didn’t seem like enough.
Anyone looking for the opportunity to be truly moved by a live theater performance will have the chance if they make it to see “The Clean House,” written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by the University of Idaho’s Robert Caisley.
The remarkable show of stage technology accommodates a psychologically complex script filled with rich characters and bold themes about what we “really should care about in life.”

In both aesthetics and delivery, this production is nothing but impressive from start to finish.
The story is essentially bound together by the character, Matilde, played by Crystal Muńoz-Tesch.
Matilde is a witty young Brazilian woman, working as a cleaning lady in the seemingly immaculate home of a highly organized and preoccupied doctor by the name of Lane, played by Master of Fine Arts candidate, Nellie Dimeler.
Matilde’s enthusiasm towards writing original jokes is completed by her lack of interest in cleaning.
This inevitably causes her to secretly shirk her housekeeping responsibilities to Lane’s neurotic, compulsively hygienic sister, Virginia, played by MFA graduate, Sally Eames-Harlan.

The exchange of duties creates a secretive relationship between Matilde and Virginia, who in the midst of cleaning the house, stumble upon evidence that Lane’s husband, Charles played by MFA candidate, Kevin Partridge, is having an affair.
The evidence is confirmed when Charles honestly and confidently introduces his mistress to his wife as his “soul mate.”
The mistress, Ana (played by MFA candidate, Bridget Esterhuizen), is a beautiful and free-spirited patient of Charles, whom he had met just before operating on her for breast cancer.
As the plot develops, the five characters become increasingly dependent on one another for clarity and comfort, and are each continuously forced to re-examine their individual desires and principles.

Composure is lost, rationale dissolves, relationships get messier, and the house gets dirtier.
The course that each character takes is guided, somehow, by the one voice of reason within the group: Matilde.
Her messages of love and humor bring meaning to some of the radical impulses of the people around her.
“Love is dirty,” she said.
The play blurs the line between reality and the metaphysical.

Both the physical events of the real world, and the inner conflicts and thoughts of the characters are interpreted simultaneously through clever stage effects.
“It’s an interesting show in terms of the way that she masters the changes and journey between all five of the characters,” Partridge said. “It breaks reality, but stays  close (enough so) that people stay on board all the way through it, and they believe it.”

The dialogue is genuinely funny and the performers bring believability to their characters.
Also, the performance is made possible by a beautifully designed set and a tasteful and well selected score of music. The lighting effects, including ghostly silhouettes allow the actors to mix the reality of each scene with the imagination of their characters.

The play manages to seamlessly mix metaphorical expression with relatable character development in an environment of laughter, conflict, love, and grief.
The acting is phenomenal and the stage mechanics are beautiful.

The dynamics come together perfectly in what is undoubtedly one of the most breathtaking live performances this fall.
The remaining performances will be at 7:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday in the Hartung. 

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