Murder mystery musical magical
by Christopher Key
There seems to be an unending number of variations on this theatrical theme: a group of oddball characters stranded in a spooky old house during a storm and someone is snuffing them one by one. The reason this theme gets repeated is because it offers enormous potential for character exploration. Not to mention the opportunities for astonishingly astute alliteration. Apologies.
Claire vg Thomas Theatre in Lynden is offering one of the more virtuoso variations on this theme with its production of Something’s Afoot, opening this week. The originator of the genre has probably been lost to history, but the iconic Agatha Christie popularized it with her novel And Then There Were None, aka Ten Little Indians. Something’s Afoot was concocted by James McDonald, David Vos, and Robert Gerlach, with additional music by Ed Linderman.
One of the things that theatrical audiences have come to love about these shows is that they almost always feature ingenious sets with various murderous features that help to off the cast. In fact, the set is often the star of the show and this production furthers that tradition. Technical Director Marc Cutler’s ingenious creation may steal the show on occasion, but the cast is strong enough to steal it right back.
Leading the way is the rock-solid veteran Linda Telfer who gives Angela Lansbury a run for her money as the amateur sleuth, Miss Tweed. Larrin Weidenaar delivers another star turn as the veddy British veteran of the Indja campaigns, Col. Gillweather. The butler may not have done it, but Josh Henry seems to have some sort of structural fundament implanted in his spine as Clive.
Erin M. Kays and Cody Caseria are hysterically funny as the upstairs maid and the chauffeur, especially in their salacious song “A Tiny Little Dinghy.” Alan Birdsall, as the scheming nephew, builds on his well-deserved reputation for physical comedy and his singing voice is…ummmm…to die for.
There are, of course, the inevitable young lovers who meet by chance, across a crowded room and all that. They are played to perfection by Karen Pollack and Rossner Gideon. They have, perhaps, the two best singing voices in the show and are given ample opportunity to demonstrate their talent.
In all of these variations on a theme, there is usually a doctor and Dave Duncan fulfills that role with great panache. Speaking of French, Susan Duncan (is there a relationship here?) portrays the formidable Lady Manley-Prowe with eloquent distortions of la langue français.
Director Earl Reid, of Nearly-Stellar fame, has done an admirable job with both the staging and the coaching of accents. This story takes place in Old Blighty and the multitudinous accents of the Auld Sod are notoriously difficult for amateur actors to reproduce. The accents in this show are remarkably consistent and that’s unusual in community theatre.
Yeah, we’ve seen this show before in one incarnation or another. But we’ve enjoyed most of them and that’s the bottom line. Something’s Afoot is great fun.
Something’s Afoot opens April 29 and runs through May 23 at the Claire vg Thomas Theatre, 655 Front Street in Lynden. Tickets are $13 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Make reservations at (360) 354-4425, Visa and MasterCard accepted. For more information: http://www.clairevgtheatre.org/.
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