It was a dark and stormy…oh, you know
Nearly Stellar show to die for
by Christopher Key
Every time you think one of Agatha Christie’s classic themes has been done to…umm…death, someone manages to take another stab at it. This time it’s called A Party to Murder, by Marcia Kash and Douglas E. Hughes. Nearly Stellar Entertainment has brought us a number of these dark and stormy nights and has become rather good at it.
It’s based on Christie’s And Then There Were None, aka Ten Little Indians. Just in case there is anyone on the planet unfamiliar with the genre, it involves stranding a group of oddball characters in a spooky old house while one of their number offs the rest of them in suitably clever and gruesome ways. This version begins with a séance, has lots of things that go bump in the night, and gives the audience a delightful challenge trying to figure out who did what to whom and why.
Director Earl Reid has become something of a master at staging these variations on a theme and makes it look easier than it is. Reid has a core group of actors who appear regularly in Nearly Stellar shows, but also recruits actors who have rarely, if ever, been seen on Whatcom County stages. Turning a diverse cast into an ensemble is another thing Reid does very well.
Reid himself plays only a small role in this production since his is the first character that is done in. He plays Elwood with a characteristic twinkle in the eye that lets you know he loves every minute in the spotlight. Even when he’s dead. His partner in the Nearly Stellar universe is Sally Lubetich, who has been in all but one of the company’s productions. As she says, “Why be greedy?” She never fails to tickle audiences with her slightly askew approach to characters like the mysterious Valerie.
The cast of A Party to Murder offers a toast to the Mistress of Mayhem.
The wonderfully goony Alan Birdsall has become something of a regular with Nearly Stellar and gets to show off his chops as a loud and obnoxious former football star. Is that redundant? Never mind. Birdsall has a field day with this role. Beth Tyne, whom I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing onstage before, plays Henri, Valerie’s sister, with a truly charming cluelessness reminiscent of the late Gracie Allen. That’s not a comparison I would toss off lightly.
Josh Henry has played a number of roles at Claire vg Thomas Theatre in Lynden. He specializes, intentionally or not, in playing Brits who seem to have a 2×4 implanted in a certain nether orifice. His character, Charles, doesn’t get many laugh lines, but his deadpan delivery makes the most of what he gets. Katherine Roos may be a newcomer to Nearly Stellar, but she’s done a lot of acting in high school. Her snarky take on McKenzie, the golddigging former employee of an…ahem…escort service, is a thing of beauty.
You have only two chances to see this murderously entertaining confection. Saturday night at 7:30 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00. Performances take place at the Quality Inn, just behind the Olive Garden on Meridian. Tickets are $10 at the door and include some rather deadly desserts at intermission.
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