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<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>CVLT’s ‘A Murder of
Scarecrows’ puts chills on thriller<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Bob
Abelman<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">News-Herald,
Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times
Courier<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Member,
International Association of Theatre Critics <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">This
review appeared in the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Times </I>papers<I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> </I>10/22/09</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT size=3><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Wizard of Oz</SPAN></I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> did a great disservice to the
scarecrow by depicting him as a brainless bundle of good intentions. Pat Cook’s
mystery comedy thriller <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A Murder of
Scarecrows,</I> which opened last weekend at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre,
sets things right by putting the startling stuffing back in the old boy.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>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. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT size=3><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Despite its
impressive title and connect-the-dots formula for malicious mayhem, <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A Murder of Scarecrows</I> is more of a
comedy than a thriller, and it is not much of a comedy. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In fact, the play is not nearly as
cleverly devised as </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN">Anthony
Shaffer’s</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">
</SPAN><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Sluth</SPAN></I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">, as witty as David Landau’s <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Murderous Crossings</I>, as well written as
<SPAN class=lightblue2><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Ira Levin’s
<I>Death Trap</I></SPAN></SPAN> or as thrilling as anything penned by Agatha
Christie.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>The playwright
has put together an unlikely bunch of buddies, whose divergent personalities are
intended to create conflict and comic relief.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, these friends are not
mismatched enough to generate much tension and are not drawn large enough to
inspire much comedy.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Their cause is
not helped by the volumes of exposition they are given to explain in the place
of action or mystery.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This play
offers more talking about what to do than any actual doing.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Director Jerry
Jaffe succeeds at keeping the dialogue brisk and his players in constant motion
during this 90 minute, two-act production.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>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.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Unfortunately, these moments are few and
far between, leaving the audience with lots of fairly uninspiring
dialogue.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Mr. Jaffe seems
a bit handcuffed on whether to excavate and accentuate what is potentially
thrilling or particularly comical in this script.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Neither comes across as the dominant
motif and leads to some confusion.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>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.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>The actors seem
equally handcuffed.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>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.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Though
imbalanced, this production is still an entertaining excursion, particularly on
a night with a cold chill and the Halloween spirit in the air.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A
Murder of Scarecrows</I> plays until October 31 at the CVLT in downtown Chagrin
Falls.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>