House Rules: a Delightful Dog Comedy
Oftentimes, it is the perspective of pets which proves to be among the most humorous and oddly insightful. The story of a family dog coming to terms adjusting to the arrival of a new puppy in House Rules is definitely no exception in this regard. The show, a new work created and directed by Mark MacDonald, is a thoroughly competent and funny workshop piece on the canine mind. The story starts off with Waffles (portrayed by Nick Wade) still getting over the move of his older brother Duke to the farm. Unexpectedly, a new puppy arrives; Waffles is at first suspicious of this new arrival, whom he thinks is the family replecement of his brother. As he grudgingly spends more time with the puppy and trains him in the ways of the house, Waffles comes to eventually accept him as one of their own.
As a workshop performance that is still in progress for its duration at the Fringe, House Rules shows a lot of promise. The sibling rivalry story told through Waffles’ eyes is effective, and the physical humour used is particularly well-suited to the dog theme (Wade’s enthusiastic shaking and jumping when Waffles hankers after treats being a case in point). In addition to creating a likeable and funny character in Waffles, Wade gives a good impression of the other characters with whom Waffles’ interacts. His delivery is clear and effective (although he occasionally relies a bit too much on the script in his hands). The use of a makeshift tail pom-pom and bare feet gives a decent dog-like appearance for the first performance of this production.
The only foible is the sound. The voice of the dogs’ owner sounds a bit overly cheesy and artificial even for a comedy piece, and the constant use of a switching car ignition for scene transitions is somewhat unclear. Besides that, House Rules is a strong production that will surely grow into its own more as it continues its run at the Fringe.
House Rules continues at the ODD Box in the Arts Court Theatre for the Ottawa Fringe Festival. For show times and tickets, see http://ottawafringe.com/shows/house-rules/