[NEohioPAL] Review of "Bloody Murder" at CVLT

[Bob Abelman]

CVLT gets away with 'Bloody Murder'

 

Bob Abelman

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

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald on 1/21/11

 

Few forms of storytelling are more formulaic than the murder mystery.

 

Take one exotic setting, populate it with strangers who are not what they seem, add one or more murders, and mix in plot twists, distracting tangents and plausible explanations that prove false.  End with an "aha" moment of clarity from a compelling hero who reveals the identity of the murderer.

 

So formulaic is the "whodunit" that it has inspired parodies dating back to when Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie were still shaping the genre.

 

One recent spoof is Ed Sala's Bloody Murder, which made its world premiere at Akron's Weathervane Playhouse in 2009 and is currently on stage at the Chagrin Valley Little Theater.

 

The exotic setting: An isolated country estate.  It is nicely represented by a lavish, blood-red painted, upholstered and appointed parlor room constructed by set designer Edmond Wolff. 

 

The population:  Weekend guests of Lady Somerset's, who consist of archetypical character types found in most British murder mysteries.  They include the rich widow (Linda Ryan); the disgruntled maid (Lisa Tarr); the fading, alcoholic actor (Steve Ryan); the retired Major (Rollin DeVere); the ingénue (Tari Lyn Bergoine); the mysterious foreign woman (also Tari Lyn Bergoine); Lady Somerset's ne'er-do-well nephew (Eric Oswald); and the bumbling inspector (also Eric Oswald).  

 

Distracting tangents:  Characters disguised as other characters is a typical "whodunit" ploy but, in Bloody Murder, the disguises are so blatantly transparent that they become a part of the parody.  

 

Plausible explanations:  It is here that Bloody Murder deviates from most murder mystery parodies.  In a moment of self-realization, the play's characters recognize that they are just characters in a novel who are committing murder at the whim of a hackneyed writer.

 

This revelation sets this play on a unique and very funny path.  Tired of being pliable and predictable, the characters revolt and engage in a battle of wits and wills with their creator. They attempt to go against type and dictate their own destinies.

 

Paying homage to a genre while simultaneously breaking and making fun of its conventions is pretty clever stuff, but there is a price to pay.  In the case of Bloody Murder, it is a lumbering script so overloaded with exposition that it occasionally collapses under its own weight.

 

All that exposition translates into a whole lot of standing around and talking on stage, and "Aha" moments-of which there are several-are so convoluted that they become "huhs" that require effort to sort out.   

 

What makes Bloody Murder plausible and really quite enjoyable is that the writing is witty enough to attract and hold our interest. The playwright's obvious love of murder mysteries allows him to call attention to and play havoc with its quirkiest conventions.  

 

What makes this CVLT production so enjoyable is its fine ensemble of actors.  They've created characters that are distinctive and interesting, even though they are true to type and easily recognizable. 

 

Linda Ryan, who repeats the role she played in the Akron production, is particularly delightful as Lady Somerset.  Seeing her elitist façade fade upon discovering that she is really a piece of low brow fiction is a highlight of the show.  Rollin DeVere's stammering military man is a real pleasure to watch as well.

 

Director Douglas A. Ferren does a great job of orchestrating the comings and goings of his actors throughout this complicated production.  However, he does little with them while on stage to break up the monotony of all that exposition.  

 

Ferren also does little to facilitate the big picture so necessary for this type of play.  Doing a typical parody requires actors to not acknowledge that they are in one, but this play within a play within a play gives actors the license to do so and to have fun with it.  In fact, it demands it. 

 

Yet only Lisa Tarr, the disgruntled maid, was appropriately playful in her portrayal during the opening Saturday night performance.  That is, until the prop handguns started to misfire and the actors were required to improvise.  

 

Those fleeting moments of unbridled creativity, when both the actor and the audience were in on the same joke, were the show's most memorable and the closest to what the playwright intended.  They also demonstrated the fun this talented cast is capable of generating when they give into the zaniness a play like this has to offer.

 

Bloody Murder continues through February 5 at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, 56 River Street, Chagrin Falls.  For tickets, $12 to $16, call 440-247-8955 or visit www.cvlt.org.

 
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