[NEohioPAL] Review of CVLT's "A Murder of Scarecrows"

[Bob Abelman]

CVLT's 'A Murder of Scarecrows' puts chills on thriller

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the Times papers 10/22/09

The Wizard of Oz did a great disservice to the scarecrow by depicting him as a brainless bundle of good intentions. Pat Cook's mystery comedy thriller A Murder of Scarecrows, which opened last weekend at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, sets things right by putting the startling stuffing back in the old boy.  

The Dandridges are holding their annual Halloween costume party at their newly acquired country house, a fixer-upper prone to losing electricity during thunderstorms. Local legend has it that a grisly murder took place on the premises at the hands of a garden-gloved, bewitched scarecrow.   When the ornamental scarecrow that adorns the front lawn vanishes on the night of the party, fun and games turn into fear and gambits for survival.  

Despite its impressive title and connect-the-dots formula for malicious mayhem, A Murder of Scarecrows is more of a comedy than a thriller, and it is not much of a comedy.   In fact, the play is not nearly as cleverly devised as Anthony Shaffer's Sluth, as witty as David Landau's Murderous Crossings, as well written as Ira Levin's Death Trap or as thrilling as anything penned by Agatha Christie.   

The playwright has put together an unlikely bunch of buddies, whose divergent personalities are intended to create conflict and comic relief.  However, these friends are not mismatched enough to generate much tension and are not drawn large enough to inspire much comedy.  Their cause is not helped by the volumes of exposition they are given to explain in the place of action or mystery.  This play offers more talking about what to do than any actual doing.  

Director Jerry Jaffe succeeds at keeping the dialogue brisk and his players in constant motion during this 90 minute, two-act production.  Along with set/sound/lighting designer Edmond Wolff, he has created a nicely appointed country home which gives rise to wonderfully spooky moments when the menacing scarecrow comes a'calling.  Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between, leaving the audience with lots of fairly uninspiring dialogue.

Mr. Jaffe seems a bit handcuffed on whether to excavate and accentuate what is potentially thrilling or particularly comical in this script.   Neither comes across as the dominant motif and leads to some confusion.  It is not clear, for example, whether the thunder and power outages that occur as if on cue or the wood burning fireplace that goes out when the power fails is intended for comedic effect.

The actors seem equally handcuffed.  Jerry Schaber as Mr. Dandridge, Natalie Dolezal as the late-arriving Clarice and fellow party guests played by Leslie Price and Erica Edwards play their roles in earnest and are excellent.  Ann Holstein, as Mrs. Dandridge, and Ken Allan, William Grossman and Joseph Fath, as friends, embrace a broader style of presentation and lean toward the laughs.

Consequently, when an investigating policewoman, played by Cheryl Fousek, is unrealistically held at bay and has her gun taken away and waved around because she is believed to be fraud, it is not clear whether this is intended for comedic effect.

Though imbalanced, this production is still an entertaining excursion, particularly on a night with a cold chill and the Halloween spirit in the air.  A Murder of Scarecrows plays until October 31 at the CVLT in downtown Chagrin Falls.
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