By MARILYN JOZWIK
Agatha Christie’s “Witness for the Prosecution” has been a popular stage whodunit since it first appeared on the London stage in the 1950s.
West Allis Players has selected the play as its fall 2021 show, and a fine production it is.
Directed by Katherine Beeson, the play has a fresh feel with a sleek, modern set in earthy ocher tones by Scott Fudali, giving the actors a perfect canvas on which to paint their uniformly splendid performances.
Zach Sharrock plays Leonard Vole, a charming – though penniless – young man who has befriended a much older, wealthy spinster, Emily French. In the early moments of the show, Vole seeks legal counsel after he reads in the newspapers that he’s a suspect in French’s murder. Handling his defense are Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Paul Weir) and Mr. Mayhew (Mack Bates). Even though Vole swears his innocence, it doesn’t look good for him since he was at French’s apartment the night of her death. He also could benefit financially from her death. It appears his fate hinges on the testimony of Vole’s mercurial wife, Romaine (Stacy Madson). Will she provide the alibi that could save him?
Amy Wickland gets the show started with her charming Cockney accent and cheery demeanor in the small but memorable role of Robarts’ secretary, Greta. The first act moves swiftly thanks to Sharrock’s intense, animated Vole – which he maintains throughout the show. Vole relates his story to his defense team of Robarts and Mayhew. In Act 2, the action moves to the courtroom for testimonies by key witnesses, who all perform admirably as the story keeps the audience guessing.
French’s housekeeper, Janet McKenzie, played by Beeson, gives a lengthy testimony, key to the case, about her recollections of the evening of the murder. Beeson’s spot-on Scottish accent and range of emotions keep the audience totally engaged.
Weir’s Robarts is in a virtual chess match with the prosecutor, Mr. Myers (William Molitor). Portraying Robarts, Vole’s hope for salvation, Weir (as always) is in top form. He paces and stalks the witnesses, probes and cajoles, looking every bit the polished senior counsel. His counterpart, Molitor’s Myers, stays at the prosecutor’s table, keeping a lower profile to provide contrast.
Madson as Romaine is spellbinding. She strides into the solicitor’s office, confident, even arrogant, an enigmatic character who maintains her mystery throughout the show. The plot hinges on Romaine, and Madson’s portrayal is completely up to the scrutiny.
Act 3 contains more twists than a mountain road as Vole’s guilt and innocence swing like a pendulum. The dramatic ending is wonderfully staged to put a cherry on top of this thriller.
While the first and third acts are most riveting, the Act 2 courtroom scenes lose some intensity in the large West Allis Central stage that dwarf the characters, especially the witnesses tucked far in the back. Perhaps moving the witnesses forward and keeping those scenes more intimate would have increased the power even more.
The show’s references to women and foreigners are notable, especially opinions given by the pompous judge (nicely done by Doug Smedron), Weir’s Robarts and other male characters, highlighting the chauvinism and other prejudices of the times as well as showing the legal system as being somewhat of a Good Ol’ Boys Club.
To accommodate set changes, two intermissions were inserted into the almost three-hour production. Yet, the energy and movement of the performers and the intriguing story keep the action moving at a good clip.
Plus, the intermissions provide an opportunity for audience members to sample several varieties of Seroogy’s chocolate bars (made in De Pere), on sale in the lobby, to fuel them for the next round of intrigue inside the theater.
If You Go:
Who: West Allis Players
What: “Witness for the Prosecution”
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15 and 16; 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17
Where: West Allis Central High School, 8516 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis
Info/Tickets: www.westallisplayers.org