[NEohioPAL] West Side Leader, David Ritchey review of Weathervane's Bloody Murder.

[Henry Bishop]

Cliché ‘bloody good entertainment’

1/22/2009 - West Side Leader
       

By David Ritchey


Weathervane stages fun production of ‘Bloody Murder’

MERRIMAN VALLEY — Never underestimate the power of a cliché. 
“Bloody Murder,” now playing at Weathervane Community Playhouse, is the ultimate cliché. It is a spoof of the murder mysteries of Agatha Christie and others of her ilk.

The setting is the drawing room of Lady Somerset’s estate in rural England. Somerset (Linda Ryan) has invited a few guests to her home for the weekend.

Fans of this genre will know the types of characters invited to the party. The first guest is the beautiful countess (Dede Klein), a mysterious woman who speaks in a thick accent and has a past. The countess describes herself as “a fantasy woman.”

The second guest is Emma Reese (Tess Burgler), the ingénue with a future and past.

The Major (Henry Bishop) has more stories about his military achievements than should be permitted on any stage. He, also, has plenty of lies in his life.

Devon Tremaine (Tom Stephan) is a formerly handsome and formerly famous actor.

Charles (Scott Shriner) is the ne’er-do-well nephew of Lady Somerset.

Lady Somerset has one maid, Jane (Karen Wood), who knows too much for her own good.

Of course, all of these characters are dressed as elegantly as any costume shop can provide. Jasen Smith (costume designer) has provided visual puns in the costumes, and that makes the show all the more fun. With a white wig and flowing black gowns, Ryan looks like Barbara Bush at a White House tea party.

Stephen Moushey and Eileen Moushey (sound co-designers) have one of the toughest jobs in this production. A door repeatedly squeaks; a piano plays; and a record player broadcasts dance music into the theater.

But as the characters settle down for their first conversation, they realize they’re in yet another murder mystery by some inept writer. Lady Somerset comments that the writer produces “tawdry filth ... plots he can steal ... and work that is uninspired ... all low brow.” The characters make references to other stories this author has written and what happened to them in those stories.

Two women indicate they know the playwright rather well. We pick up two clues — the author always writes in the first person and sometimes the writer is a man and sometimes a woman.

Somerset pulls the telephone cord out of the wall — now no one can call for help.

Let the bloody murders begin. And they do. Drinks are poisoned. The lights go out and then on to reveal another murder. A young woman gets lost and stops by the house for help — and is murdered. A thief with a Spanish name and a French accent enters through the window only to be gunned down.

Ed Sala (playwright) has a good time with one of the conventions of the British murder mystery. The door swings open; a character on stage looks at the door and says, “It’s you.” But the on-stage character doesn’t reveal who is standing in the door and out of the sight of the audience. Then the on-stage character is shot.

Fans of local community theater will enjoy the final scene when the characters discover they’re not in a book but in a theater and, perhaps, a community theater and, perhaps, in Ohio. With each discovery morale drops even more for this first-rate group of British characters. When Lady Somerset suggests that one of the actors might be a retired schoolteacher, Stephan, a retired schoolteacher, puts his head down on the desk and bellows a cry of anguish.

The audience should enjoy watching the characters make discoveries. The story is a comedy, and under the guidance of Nancy Cates (director), the cast goes for most of the laughs Sala wrote for them.

What a joy to see a new play, but I hope Sala had an opportunity to see this production. If he did, he would have noted he needs to make massive cuts in the first act. The exposition is much too long and tedious. In addition, the ending takes much too long.

Also, Sala should remember Christie wrote that in a good murder mystery, “suspicion should fall on each character in his or her turn.” Sala lets some of these characters get away with murder without enough suspicion.

Cates manages in most of her directing assignments to create an ensemble cast. Once again, everyone seems to work together well.

Near the end of the play, the playwright, who has become a character, describes his murders as “character assassinations.”

By the end of the play, some actors might suggest playwright assassination, too.

Despite my few negative comments, “Bloody Murder” is bloody good entertainment.

“Bloody Murder” continues through Feb. 1 at Weathervane Community Playhouse. For ticket information, call (330) 836-2626.



David Ritchey has a Ph.D. in communications and is a professor of communications at The University of Akron. He is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
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