Reviewed by Judy Richter
There's a theatrical tradition
that began in 1952 when "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie made its premiere as a stage
play. (It's still onstage in London today, making it the longest-running play in
the world.) Center REPertory Company continues that tradition when one of the actors steps
forth during the curtain call and asks the audience not to reveal the ending.
Knowing
the ending could spoil the fun for first-timers because the late author has so
cleverly constructed this whodunit that almost any character could be the
villain. Center REP adds to the fun during intermission. That's when the ushers
hand out ballots asking the audience to vote for the person most likely to be
the baddie. The results are posted in the lobby at the end of the show. At the
reviewed performance, the overwhelming "winner" was not the guilty
party.
The
action takes place during the late '40s at Monkswell Manor, an English guest
house operated by a young couple, Giles and Mollie Ralston (Mark Anderson
Phillips and Carrie
Paff). This,
their first day of business, is cold and snowy, so they're a bit worried as
their guests begin to arrive. They worry even more when they meet those guests,
starting with the eccentric, foppish young Christopher Wren (Mark Farrell), who says he's an architect.
The others, who arrive shortly thereafter, are Mrs. Boyle (Kerri Shawn), an older woman who complains
about everything; Miss Casewell (Cassie Beck), a mannish young woman seems to
have a secret; the seemingly amiable Major Metcalf (James Carpenter), a retired army officer; and
Mr. Paravicini (Michael Butler),an older man with an accent who arrives unexpectedly
after saying his Rolls Royce overturned in the snow. They're soon joined by
Detective Sergeant Trotter (Craig Marker), who is investigating a murder that took place
in London the day before. Trotter tells the hosts and by now snowbound guests
that the police believe that someone at Monkswell Manor might be in danger and
that the murderer might be one of them. Mrs. Boyle's murder eliminates her as a
suspect, but everyone else says and does suspicious things, ratcheting up the
tension, leading to some emotional outbursts and leading the audience on a
trail with numerous wrong turns and suppositions.
Director
Timothy Near,
who is married to Butler, Center REP's artistic director, keeps the action
flowing smoothly. She's aided by Kelly Tighe's handsome but somewhat creepy
set, Kurt Landisman's lighting, Elizabeth Poindexter's costumes and Chris Houston's sound. However, some of the
performances nearly go over the top with overacting. Still, the acting is
solid, given that some of the characters are almost caricatures at first. As
the play continues, though, the actors and script give the characters more
depth while keeping the audience guessing until almost the very end.