By Marilyn Jozwik
Agatha Christie knows just the right ingredients to use in order to whip up a delicious murder mystery.
In her “Spider’s Web,” Sunset Playhouse’s latest Furlan Auditorium production, Christie assembles an intriguing group of characters at a British Manor — a young girl and witchcraft, a nosy neighbor, a desk with a hidden compartment, a room that appears behind a bookcase with the touch of a button and, of course, the clever inspector come to investigate a murder.
Although “Spider’s Web” is not quite up to Christie’s best such as “And Then There Were None,” “The Mousetrap” and “Witness for the Prosecution,” there is lots of action, mystery and comedy to keep audiences on their toes and chuckling. Director Carol Dolphin does a marvelous job in getting the most out of Christie’s wit and keeping characters in motion so that the play never gets bogged down in dialogue.
Rowland (Jim Feeley), Jeremy (Justin Lee Tidwell), Hugo (Hal Erickson) and Clarissa (Alexandria A. Eggert), from left at table, get noisy during a game of bridge while the Inspector (Jason Peregoy), left, and Constable (Tyler Peters) investigate a murder in a scene from Sunset Playhouse’s “Spider’s Web.”
And while the material is not top-notch Christie, the performances are top-notch, starting with Alexandria A. Eggert as Clarissa, the mistress of the manor occupied by herself, her new husband Henry (Christopher Orth) and his almost teen-aged daughter Pippa (Lydia Wilhelm).
Clarissa, Henry and Pippa have just recently moved into the manor, previously owned by an antique dealer. Left behind is an old desk that has a hidden compartment that makes the desk of special interest to a couple characters. Clarissa loves a good spoof and flits about describing all sorts of fantastic tales she imagines about the place, to make her life more interesting, entertaining her guardian Rowland (Jim Feeley) and two other houseguests, Hugo (Hal Erickson) and Jeremy (Justin Lee Tidwell).
Mildred (Jenny Kosek), the gardener, lives next door in a cottage and often makes herself at home right in Clarissa and Henry’s home, loudly spouting her opinions with a hearty Cockney accent.
They all seem to be having a jolly good time until a body is discovered at a most inconvenient time and must be disposed of before Clarissa’s husband returns with an important guest, causing more than a few moments of hilarity.
The cast of Sunset Playhouse’s “Spider Web.” From left, back, Tyler Peters, Christopher Orth, Justin Lee Tidwell, Jenny Kosek, Hal Erickson, Nate Press, Jonathan R. Nass; seated on couch, Jason Peregoy, Alexandria A. Eggert, Jim Feeley; seated, front, Lydia Wilhelm.
Eggert is like a butterfly, giving Clarissa lots of nervous energy and animation as she gleefully relates one tale after another, until she finally hits upon the truth.
As always, I loved Kosek’s portrayal of her character, the zaftig gardener Mildred. Kosek’s Mildred is big and bombastic, stealing every scene she’s in.
There are lots of subtleties that this seasoned cast employs that really make the most of the material, and that was evident in the opening scene with Rowland and Hugo sampling port wine. Feeley and Erickson effortlessly display their chumminess with their gestures and easy banter, making the audience feel right at home in the on-stage living room with their natural portrayals. Tidwell as Jeremy arrives a bit later and easily joins the duo’s merriment.
Each character has a marvelous turn with Christie’s rich dialogue, such as when a character picks up a club and muses, “You could crack a man’s head open” during one of Clarissa’s tales, giving the “crack” such an emphasis as to make one jump. Jason Peregoy as the Inspector gives his character an efficient, no-nonsense manner, but also is able to highlight the comedic moments.
Listen for a mention of Christie herself in the dialogue and even some of her plays.
The handsome living room set includes frequent and flawless usage of the bookcase’s hidden door. Double doors to the stage-left foyer and another set to the stage-right patio also helped create a most spacious area and lots of room for characters to roam.
If you go:
Who: Sunset Playhouse
What: “Spider’s Web”
When: Through June 18
Where: Sunset Playhouse, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove
Info: www.SunsetPlayhouse.com