|
|||
|
Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Peer Reviews Dead
to the Max: Murder on the Santa Fe Trail Entire contents are copyright © 2008 Sherry Deatrick. All rights reserved.
Rumor is that this is Kevin Temple's first play written for WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theater. Rumor is this show was produced last year at WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theater of New England to critical acclaim, according to Temple. The show, set in the Old West, felt not so much like a play, but rather a pantomime of one. I realize the WhoDunnit shows are not meant to be viewed as traditional theater. I also realize that in a typical "whodunit" production, information must be imparted via expository dialog. However, other WhoDunnit plays I have seen and read contain action while imparting information. Not so here. The characters spent large amounts of stage time looking at one another (or at their hands) with nothing really to do but twiddle their thumbs (or pretend to sweep the floor) and weakly feign interest at the words they emptily recited to each other. It didn't help that the entire cast (seven people) were often crowded together on the very small stage at one time, severely limiting the actors' ability to move gracefully, if at all. Blocking was practically nonexistent.
The top-heavy Scene One dumped more expository dialogue on the audience than they could comfortably digest (along with their salad and rolls). Scene Two was even more dialog-heavy. It seemed completely unnecessary and furthered the plot very little if at all, offering no clues to solving the mystery of who killed "Boss" Haskins, owner of the Golden Ranch in Golden Tumbleweed, New Mexico. Rumor is, he was the richest man in town, and rumor is, he was poisoned. (Just in case you're wondering, the phrase "rumor is" is a running gag that Temple runs into the ground.) Temple's plot is devoid of any real content, other than a bunch of Western stereotypes sitting around doing nothing but talking. Minutes feel like hours as characters sit around wondering out loud about who killed Boss Haskins. Then another actor walks on and they all talk about it some more. Then yet another joins in and the cycle of exposition repeats itself. At least with the previous WhoDunnit show I saw, The Curse of Gwynned's Renn, there was actual action taking place, real electricity between the actors, and believable performances that let you enter their world, just as you would with any other play. But with Dead to the Max, at no time did I ever feel transported into the realm of the characters. The sound design lent an air of authenticity to the production, what with the Ennio Morricone-like soundtrack and the sound effects of people opening and closing the saloon door. Many children were screaming bloody murder outside the room on opening night, and their parents were screaming at them to stop screaming, making it difficult to catch the important clues in the first scene. The food was tolerable, but not great. My pot roast was uneven — some bites were good, others had a "loud" taste. The carrots were delicious, perfectly cooked and sweet. Servers bumped into our table constantly (at least six times), nearly causing me to spill hot coffee on myself. The dessert was a chalky-tasting chocolate mousse. The casting choices were curious, to say the least. Kimberly Haire was out of her element in her role as Miss Maxine DeMasker. To be fair, this is her first role in a full-length play. But the director should have noticed her dead delivery and wooden movements (she often stood with her hands planted firmly on her hips) and given her some coaching. Haire seemed uncomfortable during the audience interaction sequences between scenes. WhoDunnit actors need to be skilled at improvisation for these scenes, since audiences might ask any number of oddball questions. Erica Goldsmith (as Miss Nancy Clancy, the barmaid) inexplicably sounded like she was a refugee from Tara rather than a Santa Fe transplant, so thick was her Southern belle accent. Cory Vaughn was a tad too "aw shucks"-y as Bobby Lee Banks, the newcomer in search of a job at the ranch. Again, this is the fault of the director and author, because Vaughn has excelled in other roles. His character really served no purpose in this show. It seems his raison d'être was to show that Nancy is a slut, because she flirts with him heavily. We gleaned her reputation from her sexy outfit, right down to the punk-rock style fishnets. Cristina Martin did the best she could with her part (Gracie Goode, saloon owner), but the stereotypical part left her little to work with. Craig Nolan Highley was very good as attorney Francis Drake. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much dialog. When he spoke, he commanded the audience's attention and had no trouble delivering the stilted lines. His gentlemanly costume was authentic and fit him to a tee. James Wolford Hardin was also memorable as Phillip Masters, who ran the Golden Ranch and stood to inherit it from Boss. I particularly enjoyed his audience interaction. He asked every table how many head of cattle they owned. What an icebreaker! Niles Welch delivered the best performance by far of the evening as his comic-relief "funny alcoholic" character, Thomas Colins. Welch brought great physical comedy to the otherwise motionless proceedings, conjuring up a cross between Foster Brooks and Robert Donner.
Dead to the Max: Murder on the Santa Fe Trail Featuring Erica Goldsmith, Kimberly Haire, James Wolford Hardin, Craig Nolan Highley, Cristina Martin, Cory Vaughn and Niles Welch. Posted May 20, 2008
|
||
