A Conversation with Director Charlie Mount, “The Goddamn Couple Down the Hall (Oh…. and Merry Christmas!)”, Theatre West, by James Scarborough

Mark Wilding’s “The Goddamn Couple Down the Hall (Oh…. and Merry Christmas!)” serves up a deliciously dark alternative to Hallmark holiday fare. Under Charlie Mount’s direction, this comedy-mystery unfolds in a Pasadena condo, where the Woodruff family’s Christmas gathering collides with the tempestuous relationship of their neighbors.

Wilding, known for his award-winning television work, brings his sharp wit to the stage. The play’s premise - a family torn between yuletide cheer and morbid curiosity - is ripe with dramatic potential. Mount’s directorial approach will be crucial in balancing the script’s tonal shifts between festive comedy and potential foul play.

The ensemble cast faces the challenge of creating believable family dynamics while reacting to unseen chaos. Jeff G. Rack’s set design must subtly convey the tension between holiday warmth and encroaching darkness. David Johnson’s lighting and Charlie Mount’s sound design will likely play pivotal roles in building suspense.

This production promises to subvert expectations, offering a fresh take on holiday-themed theatre. It’s a bold choice for Theatre West, potentially attracting new audiences while satisfying their loyal patrons. The play’s success will hinge on its ability to maintain comic momentum while unraveling its central mystery.

JS: How does “The Goddamn Couple Down the Hall” challenge traditional notions of holiday-themed theatre? What drew you to this unconventional narrative?

CM: Mark Wilding, the playwright, got a little tired of seeing “A Christmas Carol” every December and thought we were due for a new perennial, maybe something a little different, a little edgier. He was a big fan of the Hitchcock film “Rear Window” and was always fascinated by the story of a group of people trying to figure out if a neighbor has committed a murder. Set the whole thing at Christmas and you have a great opportunity for a comic family holiday mystery! As a director I was drawn to the challenge of trying to balance all the dark and light of the story, all the drama, all the comedy, all the touching family moments, and, of course, a compelling murder mystery. Mark just gives you so much juicy stuff with which to work!

JS: Elaborate on your directorial approach to balancing the play’s comic elements with its underlying mystery?

CM: The trick is ground the play with the character’s relationships. In the end, the play is about a family coming together for the holidays. All the crazy stuff about the couple down the hall, the possibility of foul play, all of that, figuring out just what in the world is going on, brings the family together in a way an ordinary holiday could not. As a director I approached it this way -- my family often fought around the holidays, as most do, but when we sat down to play cards or a board game or a parlor game, suddenly we were having the best time! And that’s what the mystery is in this play -- it’s like the greatest board game of all! So what was my approach to balancing the comedy with the mystery Focus on the family, making the relationships work, all their grievances, all their love, the whole shebang. Everyone will relate to the family on stage and what the holidays do to you!

JS: How have you worked with the cast to develop the family dynamics of the Woodruffs in contrast to the unseen but pivotal neighbors?

CM: The neighbors are seen, quickly, and unconventionally (no spoilers here), but they are mostly hidden in their own apartment. To make them “present” on stage I have the conceit of the neighbors sharing a wall with our on stage family, so all the sounds and noise coming from the apartment down the hall is very visceral. It’s very close. I also allow the characters to have their moment to shine as “detectives”, taking stage and working things out, like a family of Hercule Poirot’s. This raises the importance of the neighbors, and so, despite their lack of presence, they are kept very much on everyone’s mind.

JS: How does Jeff G. Rack’s set design contribute to the narrative tension between festive cheer and potential crime?

CM: Jeff’s set is gorgeous, a mid-century oasis of calm and retro design. At first it is a somewhat stark living space, but as the mystery deepens Christmas lights and wreaths appear, mulled wine is brought out, festive food arrives, and generally things become warmer. As the mystery and danger grows, the set actually becomes more jolly. It’s a fun dichotomy to play.

JS: How do you use David Johnson’s lighting design and your own sound design to build suspense and enhance the audience’s experience?

CM: Just as the set becomes warmer so do the lights, inside the apartment and outside the window in the townhouses across the street, once again playing with the contrast between the growing murder mystery and the coming together of the family. The sound, which I am designing along with David P. Johnson, is at once jaunty and jarring, walking that line between fun holiday celebration and the possibility of dirty deeds done down the hall. 

JS: Given Mark Wilding’s background in television, how have you adapted his writing style for the stage?

CM: Mark is also an accomplished playwright and has been a member of Theatre West for many years, attending the Playwriting Worksop and working out his plays. Mark is a great collaborator, and you can ask him but my guess is that came from his work in television, working in one writer’s room after another. Mark is very open to suggestions and thoughts from me, the actors, and his colleagues. If I’ve had any influence it’s been as a dramaturg making suggestions on how to make a scene play better for the actors. But, really, Mark knows how to write for the stage.

JS: Discuss the challenges and opportunities of staging a play where crucial characters are heard but not seen?

CM: As I said, making the family take their roles as “detectives” seriously brings the off-stage characters onto the stage, if you see what I mean. By treating their existence, and what may or may not have happened to them, importantly, they become important to the audience. We also worked hard on making the neighbors’ drama parallel the drama of the onstage family (though much broader and darker). The couple down the hall has domestic problems, so does our family! Keeping the play focused on that parallel helps keep the off stage characters at the forefront of the story. I’ve also got the actors constantly checking in on the neighbors, listening to them fight, peeking at them down the hall and out the window, etc. My staging makes sure the presence of the Goddamn couple down the hall is always felt.

JS: How does this production fit into Theatre West’s mission and legacy, considering its history of developing original works?

CM: Mark developed the play in the Theatre West acting and writing workshops, bringing it in in bits and pieces, listening to critique, holding a number of reading, always going back and tweaking after every presentation to the company. This is exactly what Theatre West is all about, nurturing and developing works initiated by our members. Theater West’s mission is to be a greenhouse for artists, and “The Goddamn Couple Down The Hall...” definitely flowered in that greenhouse.

JS: How does the play comment on contemporary society’s relationship with privacy and community?

CM: Despite its darker and its more farcical elements, at its heart this is a play about a family coming together over the holidays with understanding. The couple down the hall do burst into their lives without welcome, like a social media troll fight dumped out live in front of you, but it is that drama that allows the family to rally together and become united in purpose and empathy. So what does the play say about privacy and community? If you want the former maybe don’t ignore the latter.

JS: As both director and co-producer, how do you balance artistic vision with the practical considerations of mounting a new play?

CM: You start with a budget and a clear vision based on what’s available to you, and stick to it. And what you can’t get, steal or buy, you create. For example, I have a scene where I need some feathers to fly out of a pillow. I wanted to use squibs or some sort of air compressor, but both are hugely expensive. Instead I came up with a child’s toy and a clever way to operate it that cost me thirty bucks. As a director who also produces I have learned that when face with a difficult situation always remember to emulate the Marines: improvise, adapt, and overcome. 

Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m., from November 8- December 15, 2024. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Theatre West is located at 3333 Cahuenga Boulevard West, in Los Angeles, CA 90068. For more information, click here.