From left, Danny McCarthy, Michael Countryman and Hannah Bos in “The Open House”
As lights come up in “The Open House,” a bike bell rings, birds chirp and a dog barks.
Those familiar sounds place us squarely in a homey setting — and where there’s family, there are, of course, unhealthy behaviors and attitudes.
Domestic dysfunction has been mined to the max onstage. So it’s very impressive that playwright Will Eno extracts so much pungent humor and so many poignant observations in a fleet 80 minutes.
The rhythms of Eno’s dialogue emit more than a faint whiff of Edward Albee as a celebration unfolds — or tries to get traction.
It’s Mother (Carolyn McCormick) and Father’s (Peter Friedman) anniversary — and their grown son and daughter (Danny McCarthy and Hannah Bos) and Dad’s brother (Michael Countryman) are there to mark the big day.
The celebration never takes off, weighed down by sour remarks and rebukes. Mom is literally in pain — she has a bum wrist. There are more aches to come as various accidents occur, and each character makes an abrupt shift in the show’s second half.
Director Oliver Butler gets five impeccable performances from his cast, but Eno — a Pulitzer finalist for “Thom Pain (based on nothing)” in 2005 — creates the delight in this story about permanence and leaving a mark.
The small but satisfying work is an appetizer for Eno’s upcoming Broadway play “The Realistic Joneses,” which starts March 13.
jdziemianowicz@nydailynews.com
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