The Hothouse by Harold Pinter at Antaeus Theatre Company

GLENDALE, Calif. - Jan. 7, 2018 - PRLog -- Directed by Nike Doukas, The Hothouse opens on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 (one opening for each cast), running through March 11 at the Kiki & David GindlerPerformingArtsCenterin Glendale. Low-priced previews begin on Jan. 18.

Written in 1958, but put aside by the author until 1980, The Hothouse is a wild, impudent and blisteringly comic look at a government-run mental institution in which the wardens may be madder than the inmates. Under a veil of devilish wit and subversive humor, Pinter's biting political commentary on the perils of unchecked power is as vital and pertinent today as when he first wrote it.

According to Antaeus co-artistic directors Bill Brochtrup, Rob Nagle and John Sloan, "Although probably unfamiliar to most audience members, The Hothouse is a true 'hidden gem' — a searingly comic indictment of institutional bureaucracy ambiguously set in a 'rest home' or 'sanitarium' where the unscrupulous staff prey on the patients, and corruption and red tape are rampant. Nike's talents as an actor, director, teacher, dialect expert and coach are well known to everyone at Antaeus, so it's thrilling to have her on board to helm this wild ride."

In the Antaeus tradition known as "partner casting," Josh Clark and Peter Van Norden share the role of Roote, the ex-colonel in charge who, on Christmas Day, finds himself confronted by a dual crisis: one of his numerically identified patients, 6457, has died while another, 6459, has unexpectedly given birth. Graham Hamilton and Leo Marks partner as his second in command, the Machiavellian Gibbs, while Melanie Lora and Jocelyn Towne play Miss Cutts, Roote's calculating and shrewd mistress. Other characters include the appropriately named Lush (Adrian LaTourelle and Rob Nagle), the hapless Lamb (JD Cullum and Steve Hofvendahl), Lobb (John Apicella and Gregory Itzin) and Tubb (John Bobek and Paul Eiding).

Pinter himself directed the first production, which opened on April 25, 1980 at the Hampstead Theatre before transferring to the Ambassadors Theatre on June 25. The play was also first published in 1980, by Eyre Methuen. It received its American premiere at the Trinity Repertory Company in 1982. Pinter himself played Roote in a 1995 production staged at the Minerva Theatre in Chichester, which later transferred to the Comedy Theatre in London.

It was fantasy when I wrote it, but now it has become, I think, far more relevant. Reality has overtaken it," he said.

Performances of The Hothousetake place Jan. 25 through March 11 on Thursdays and Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. (no matinee performance on Saturday, Jan. 27). Tickets are $30 on Thursdays and Fridays, and $34 on Saturdays and Sundays. Six preview performances take place Jan. 18 through Jan. 24. Preview tickets are priced at $15. Antaeus Theatre Company has partnered with TodayTix, the free mobile ticketing platform, to offer a $5preview lottery; a limited number of $5 tickets will be made available through the TodayTix app for previews.

The Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center is located at 110 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205 (between N. Brand Blvd. and Maryland Ave.). The first 90 minutes of parking is free, then $2 per hour, in Glendale Marketplace garage located at 120 S. Maryland Ave (between Broadway and Harvard). The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call 818-506-1983 or go to www.antaeus.org.