Displaying items by tag: Agatha Christie

Do you love a good whodunnit? If so, you will love this rich and funny production of ‘The Mousetrap’ directed with great staging and humor by Sean Graney.

Agatha Christie's ‘The Mousetrap’ opened in London in 1952 and never stopped running. It is the longest running play in stage history, and for good reason. Its well-crafted script is entertaining throughout, is filled with colorful characters and keeps one guessing right until the very end. And Graney takes the play in a great direction by casting character actors with serious chops in all roles. 

Mollie and Giles Ralston (wonderfully played by Kate Fry and Allen Gilmore) are a newly married couple who have decided to turn the house she inherited into a bed and breakfast. The couple are a little overwhelmed by the flurry of guests that arrive on their opening when they all become snowbound in the house and get news that a murder has occurred nearby - and the killer is still at large, and most likely heading their way. It doesn’t take long before everyone becomes a suspect. 

While piecing clues together, audience members can enjoy an eyeful of color and textures in the fabulous set design thanks to scenic design by Arnel Sancianco with lighting by Claire Chrzan, sound by Kevin O’Donnell and costumes by Alison Siple, which include a tall window with real rain falling and a smoky fireplace are ominous and luxurious at the same time. The costumes for all cast members are stylish and multi-layered and particularly delightful to the eye are Alex Goodrich’s in head to toe orange patterns and David Cerda’s in a spectacular ensemble of royal purple with fur trim on his floor length winter coat.   

No spoiler alerts here, if you have never seen the play you will have a great time guessing who the murderer is and if you have seen it, this well done production will still keep you engaged right up until the end.

Erik Hellman gives a great performance as Detective Sgt. Trotter, the lawman who arrives on snow skis in the middle of the storm, earnestly trying to protect all the houseguests from becoming murder victims. 

My favorite performances in this cast came from Alex Goodrich as Christopher Wren and David Cerda as Mr. Paravicini. Both are outstanding. Cerda is well known for his superb camp theater productions as the Artistic Director, actor, resident playwright and co-founder of Hell in a Handbag Productions. In this very funny production, Cerda steals every scene he is in and provides great comic relief as the tension on the set builds and builds all while dressed to the nines in royal purple, silk knee high knickers. 

Goodrich has also made his mark in Chicago area theater and is perhaps best known for his many leading roles at Marriott Theatre and Chicago Shakespeare. The talented actor reminds me so much of another great Chicago comic actor, John C. Reilly, and he fills the room with an energy of youthful disgust mixed with childlike wonder as he flutters about the large stage getting big laughs with his over-the-top manic energy, spot on delivery and physical comedy.

Carolyn Ann Hoerdemann plays a very convincing and killable guest as the picky and annoying Mrs. Boyle, while Tina Munoz Pandya is mysterious as Miss Casewell and Lyonel Reneau gives us a strong Major Metcalf.

I highly recommend this funny, exciting, and well-paced production of the classic Agatha Christie murder mystery for a night of suspense and laughs on a cold wintry eve at the lovely Court Theatre. For more show information visit www.CourtTheatre.org.

As with any good mystery, suspense, intrigue and surprise are the key elements in making a successful story that keeps one on the edge of their seat and keeps you guessing. ‘And Then There Were None’ at Drury Lane in Oakbrook has it all. And even though I have seen this play before, I did not remember the ending and was thoroughly surprised and shocked to find out who “dunnit” and why!

Without giving anything away, this Agatha Christie story is about ten strangers who have been invited to an island vacation by a secretive host or hostess. After realizing that there is a murderer on the island and no escape until a boat comes, the characters all begin displaying their own foibles and ways of coping with what seems to be certain death with some welcoming it and others fighting to the death to stay alive. As the mystery progresses, clues unfold that keep amateur sleuths (audience members) involved as we try piece the puzzle together.  

The mature and very talented, ensemble cast includes Vera Clayton (Cher Alvarez), Justice Wargrave (Matt DeCaro), Mrs. Rogers (Jennifer Engstrom), Emily Brent (Marilyn Dodds Frank), Fred Narracott (Casey Hoekstra), William Blore (Paul-Jordan Jansen), Anthony Marston (Zachary Keller), Doctor Armstrong (David Kortemeier), Philip Lombard (Yousof Sultani), Thomas Rogers (Paul Tavianini), and General Mackenzie (Bruce Young). And all ten had a solid grip on their characters. I was particularly impressed with Emily Brent as Marilyn Dodds Frank. Brent really knows how to infuse every word and look with an element of intensity and humor as her character teeters on the brink of sanity.

The set design by Andrew Boyce was particularly lush in depicting a mansion set on a private island somewhere off the coast of Maine with a stunning view of the ocean. As one who truly enjoys a water view, I was engaged immediately. Directed with great timing by Jessica Fisch, this production had me guessing on the murderers' identity right up until the last scene. But though the thought of a murder mystery might be macabre to some, the play infuses enough humor to keep things light enough for everyone to appreciate. 

There is a very interesting subtext in this story by Christie wherein the murderer has real reasons to kill off each of the guests who are guilty of murder in various ways themselves. The murderer has justified in his or her mind that killing each of these "alleged" murderers is the right way to serve up justice, and to a point the audience begins to actually want to see some of the characters die. But by the end it is clear that when a human presumes to "play God" they must be ready to experience the kick back of instant karma! Recommended for a fun Summer night of mystery solving that is suspenseful but not too scary for the whole family to enjoy.

‘And Then There Were None’ is a delightful whodunnit that is attractive to all sorts of theatre goers. Playing at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook, you can catch this fun mystery through September 1st For more show information visit www.drurylanetheatre.com.