February 16, 2008: Vol. 31, No. 7

It is a play about the city, romance and real estate, but what makes Aaron Landsman’s newest work, “Open House,” truly unique, is its setting: your apartment.

The Foundry Theatre is staging “Open House” in homes across the five boroughs, thematically examining the pressures on a relationship in an ever-changing city as three actors perform in the intimate confines of private residences.

For Landsman, a decade-long Brooklyn resident who now resides in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, the changing face of the borough is central to the premise of the play.

“I’ve lived here for 10 years,” he said, “and I love it more and more. On the one hand, I’m still really thrilled by this borough, but I get nervous that it will be whitewashed, and I’ll be part of that.”

The play follows two narrative arcs. The first is a “comedy of romantic failure” and the second follows a real-estate agent. Together, they force the audience to consider what steps need to be taken to maintain Brooklyn’s charms.

“The show deals with gentrification in cheeky ways, as bohemian types move to neighborhoods and some people are being displaced,” said Landsman. “Areas are becoming safer. Some people benefit from it, while others don’t.

“Brooklyn still retains what I love about New York,” continued Landsman, “a multiplicity of people, the predominance of small businesses over big box stores, and the feeling of neighborhoods.”

©2008 The Brooklyn Paper