I rarely spend time researching performances before I see them. There’s something appealing about coming into a theater completely naive. When I know what a play is about, I start to get ideas about how I’ll react to the subject matter, the actors or the script. With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised at how literal the title “Tiny Houses” is. The whole play revolves around building an actual tiny house.

A quick Googling reveals that “tiny house movement” refers to a social movement “that advocates living simply in small homes.” One or more inhabitants eschew the trappings of the complicated modern life, shedding “things” in favor of “experiences.” The slow construction of a 200 square foot tiny house on the stage during the performance parallels the evolution of the relationship of two of the characters. We open with Cath (Kate Eastman) and Bohdi (Peter Hargrave) having just purchased a trailer to build their house on. Their unfolding plan is to escape the chaos of New York City and retire to the wilds of Oregon.

And, honestly, how many of us haven’t wanted to immediately live in a one-room home in the wilderness with someone we’ve only known for four months?

This work, written by Chelsea Marcantel and directed by Laura Kepley, is a joint collaboration between our Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the Cleveland Play House. The world premiere run started in Cleveland and last week opened in Cincinnati.

It’s a cleverly written and staged performance, due in no small part to the physical construction of a house on a trailer. Luckily a tiny house is just that, and there’s ample room. There are monologues sprinkled throughout, each character discussing their work, the things unrelated to the other characters. Jevne (Nandita Shenoy) happens to be a mildly famous YouTube creator, posting relaxation videos to cure insomnia. Her monologues are clips from her videos, as one might imagine. She also happens to have been Bohdi’s childhood and early adulthood lover — cue the dramatic tension.

It’s a heavy, romantic story told by way of comedy script; the Shelterhouse felt light and energized. We watched the creation of a physical structure and the unraveling of a romantic one. It turns out to live together with someone in a home the size of most living rooms requires unbounded patience and appreciation. Cath and Bohdi park their trailer on the back lawn of their friend Ollie (Michael Doherty), a quirky man-boy who sells haunted dolls on the internet. He’s unapologetically weird, and his accent will throw you for a loop.

Tiny Houses runs now through June 2, 2019, at the Shelterhouse at the Playhouse.

John David Back is a Cincinnati native who lives and works in OTR. He’s an avid reader and a mediocre writer who loves the experience of art and beauty. Tell him what he should experience and send fan mail to johndavidback@gmail.com.