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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Reviews Murder by the Sea: The Dark Veil Mystery Directed by Niles Welch
Reviewed by Keith Waits Entire contents are copyright © 2009 Keith Waits. All rights reserved. WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theatre reaches into its archive to revive a script originally produced during the company's previous incarnation in the northeast, the result being a new staging of a vintage mystery that strikes me as a tad richer and more complex than their more recent offerings. The setting is Newport, Rhode Island in 1902. The wealthy Waring family is about to marry off the youngest of two daughters when family legends and, yes, murder, interfere. It is a scenario filled with upper crust characters too concerned with hiding family secrets and maintaining their social standing. One of the secrets to the fun of a WhoDunnit show is that the scripts knowingly traffic in the time-worn clichés of classic murder mysteries, but present them with a satirical, tongue-in-cheek attitude that invites the audience to be in on the joke. This is accomplished in part by having the cast, while in character; engage the audience members in conversation between acts. Although I am usually inadequate to the task in my meager attempts to ask anything but the most obvious questions, I was surprised on this occasion when I was sure I had struck gold in an interaction with the vivacious Erica Goldsmith as eldest daughter Chesney Waring. Alas, her evasiveness, however charming, proved an effective red herring and I was, as always, entirely mistaken in my solution to the mystery. Besides Ms Goldsmith, a Whodunnit mainstay who has yet to disappoint, the cast was comprised of the droll Graham Bell as paterfamilias Charles Waring, Kathie Davis, nicely imperious as Aunt Agnes, Magdalen Hartman as the younger, soon-to-be-wed sister, Melinda, and Cory Vaughn, sufficiently over-the-top feral as a crazed hermit who dwells on the Waring estate. Of course, no drawing-room mystery would be complete without a sleuth to unravel the clues and declare the identity of the killer, and Frank Whitaker's Dr. Angus MacCrimmon fills the bill in classic style. Rolling through a Scottish burr with relish, Mr. Whitaker delivers a clean and clipped ascetic physician and gentleman worthy of return appearances. Evidently Murder by the Sea is merely the first in a series of MacCrimmon mysteries so we can only be encouraged that we shall encounter the amateur detective again in future WhoDunnit productions. The play includes a song filled with clues, which was nicely handled by Ms. Hartman and Ms. Davis and, while slightly idiosyncratic, maintained the mood of the expository-heavy second act. Spoken narration leading into each act also helped establish the proper tone, although it was consistently overwhelmed by the conversations dying out around the room as patrons turned their attention from their dinner to the action onstage. Another fun and easy-to-digest theatre and dining experience that kicks off the new season in fine style. WhoDunnit is a one-of-a-kind experience in the Louisville area that is always worth checking out.
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