A fine mess, maybe a murder under the ‘Clutter’

• Reprints

Andrew J. Pond (left), and Edward Kuffert star in "Clutter: The True Story of the Collyer Brothers Who Never Threw Anything Out," premiering at the Greenhouse Theater Center in Chicago.| Photo by Peter Coombs

‘Clutter: The True Story of the Collyer Brothers Who Never Threw Anything Out’

MadKap Productions, Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago

7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through March 11

There will be talkback sessions with Dr. Scott Kaplan (producer Wendy Kaplan’s son) after every other Thursday evening performance, starting Feb. 2

$40, $30 seniors, $15 students

(773) 404-7336 or visit www.greenhousetheater.org

Article Extras

Hoarding is a hot topic these days, with several television shows and numerous news items devoted to the topic. But packrats aren’t a new phenomenon, you’ll learn, when you see “Clutter: The True Story of the Collyer Brothers Who Never Threw Anything Out” by MadKap Productions.

It’s the true story of two wealthy recluse siblings in 1920s Harlem who turned their mansion into a repository of floor-to-ceiling “stuff,” including over a dozen pianos and even a Model T automobile. It is also a tale about a mystery that might involve murder.

Long-time producer Wendy Kaplan of Deerfield found Mark Saltzman’s play about the eccentric brothers so irresistible that she formed MadKap Productions to stage the show.

“The script is wonderful,” said Kaplan, who learned about the work from actor Andrew J. Pond. Pond had done a reading for “Mr. Shaw Goes to Hollywood,” another Saltzman play, and the playwright told him that he would be perfect for the part of brother Langley Collyer in “Clutter.”

Pond brought the play to Kaplan because they had met when she produced and he acted in “Murder in Green Meadows” at Citadel Theatre, directed by Wayne Mell.

New York story

“I am from New York but I didn’t know who the Collyer Brothers were,” Kaplan admitted.

She chose fellow Deerfield resident Mell to direct and selected Edward Kuffert of Glencoe to play Homer Collyer, the older brother. “I wanted to surround myself with really talented people so it would make my job a little bit
easier,” Kaplan said. “I have so much respect for the actors and Wayne and everybody associated with the show.”

Mell reported that when Kaplan originally brought the script to him, she had already selected another director but was seeking his opinion about the play. He instantly had a positive reaction.

“I thought it was very well written,” Mell said. “I thought the people were interesting and it had an interesting story.”

Mell talked to Kaplan about his concept of how the play should be staged and, when the other director had to drop out, she hired Mell because she liked his vision of the work.

Mell said he “lovingly” refers to the Collyer Brothers as “crackpots. They’re obviously eccentric, living in tons of rubble, so they have a little bit of a screw loose. I’m sure in real life they would have been harder to take, but they are so charming and funny and playful in this show that you really kind of bond with them.”

Missing in the mess

The plot revolves around a murder investigation after Homer Collyer is found dead in their mansion “under 40 tons of rubble,” Mell said. “Which is how the world discovers that they were hoarders. And the other one is missing. It became a huge media sensation. Where is Langley Collyer?”

The story is told in flashbacks during the murder investigation which, by coincidence, is being investigated by two police officers who happen to be brothers.

Actor Edward Kuffert described Homer Collyer as “the better educated of the two brothers. He went to Columbia and got a law degree. He doesn’t actually practice law but he has some sort of mysterious projects he’s working on. He’s the one who seems to have a little more independence. He wants to eventually move out and get away from his younger brother.”

In preparation for the role, Kuffert read several books about the Collyers and viewed photos of the brothers and their house online. He also researched the story through newspaper clippings, “to get a feel for the period and the kinds of things they were saying about the Collyers.”

Kuffert joked that he didn’t know about the Collyers when he took this role and, “My mother would probably have been delighted to find somebody who resembled me when I was younger. I draw the line at dirt but I don’t mind a certain amount of mess.”

The actor admitted that he was surrounded by piles of paper when we talked. “It feels like the set’s going to feel, I think,” he said.