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Caught In the Classic “Trap” |
THE MOUSETRAP
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If you have never seen an Agatha Christie classic murder mystery, you have missed one of the bright spots in theater. She is a master of the surprise ending and always has enough twists and turns in the plots of her plays to keep you guessing. THE MOUSETRAP is a good example of her work. (I have to be honest and tell you that I think her TEN LITTLE INDIANS or its musical version SOMETHING’S AFOOT takes the prize in this category, but Mousetrap holds its own.) And the current Fountain Hills version is a worthy presentation of the genre. Director Roger Prenger has captured the spirit of Christie’s work in his staging, character development and overall feel for an English country house in mid 20th Century. The set by Peter J. Hill is lovely and well decorated, although I must say I could not quite figure out why the fireplace wall was so far downstage. That placement created a somewhat awkward sightline for actors’ entrances and exits to the kitchen, which could have been avoided if the fireplace were more upstage. Perhaps there was a technical reason which I could not be aware of having to do with making the fire seem real. At any rate it was a bit disturbing. Character delineation, however, suffered no such problem. Each of the rather peculiar guests at the Monkswell Inn was a delight. From the weirdly fey Christopher Wren (beautifully played by Marcos Rutt) to the prissy Mrs. Boyle (nicely brought to life by Julie Lee) to the stuffy Major Metcalfe (well played by Norman Sheriff) to the enigmatic Miss Casewell (played by Chrystalle Reed) and finally to the mysterious stranger who happens on the Inn by accident (brilliantly played by Vladimir Hulpach whose real foreign accent lent a marvelous credence to the role) – each of these actors was right on the spot with his or her characterization. This is , of course a play with a surprise ending so I cannot reveal too much or it will spoil the show for you. The three normal characters in the play – Carrie Carlisle as Mollie Ralston, the innkeeper, Alex Bradley as Giles Ralston, her husband and Scott Duncan as the trusty detective did a splendid job as well. The plot revolves around a murder which has been committed elsewhere in London but which involves some of the motley crew which has been described above, all of whom are snowbound in the country. In an attempt to find the culprit, each of the eight goes through machinations which only a wonderful author like Agatha Christie can juggle. To his credit, director Prenger keeps the pace moving and the somewhat convoluted story line clear. I must admit that I guessed who the murderer was about halfway through the second act, but that is probably because we in the 21st Century have become much more sophisticated an audience than those in the mid 20th. After you watch so many TV mysteries, you get the hang of it! That does not negate the fact that this production is a worthwhile one and is well worth seeing. If you are listening closely, there is lot of foreshadowing and a bit of old fashioned wisdom sprinkled among the dialogue lines here and there. This play is a classic. Special mention must be made of the excellent work of dialect coach Diane Senffner who did a marvelous job of training the actors in their British accents. You could understand every single word, which is not always the case when amateurs attempt an English show. Kudos also to Peter J. Hill for an impressive lighting design. THE MOUSETRAP is a good show!
And so, my question is answered. Ordinarily, it is not noticeable at all that Fountaiin Hills has to deal with a space problem of this magnitude; they usually do a great job of disguising the problem. As I said above, with the exception of that detail, Hill's set was indeed lovely and now we can all appreciate the difficulties a designer faces. Thanks for the info, Peter!
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