Review: IN THE GUTTER At Best Medicine Rep

Film noir was at its peak in the 1920s through the 1950s, and classics like The Maltese Falcon have influenced the film and theater many decades later. Noir takes itself seriously, and there is often little room for humor. Best Medicine Rep's production of In The Gutter, written by John Morogiello and directed by Stan Levin, is a comedy that pokes fun at tropes and elements of a typical film noir.

In this comedy, Fiona (Zoë Bowen Smith) wants a way out of her marriage to Bill (J. McAndrew Breen). She recruits gutter salesman Chad (Matthew Marcus) to help her carry out murder without raising suspicions of her nosy neighbor Mrs. Cooper (Rebecca A. Herron).

The play is full of mixed metaphors (and some similes too), and this leads to some quirky scenarios. Time is funny too. There are references to the early 2000s like the 2002 election along with mentions of the milkman and smartphones. The costumes, designed by Elizabeth Kemmerer, and the simple set support this notion of timelessness. The funniest parts of this comedy are ones that are unexpected. Some laugh-out-loud moments include Chad being paid in pennies, a joke about pool passes, and a sequence involving the doll forms of Chad and Bill on the roof. Herron's justice-seeking Detective and Breen's Cop only make brief cameos, but they both steal the show with their hilarious interactions with Smith's Fiona.

Smith and Marcus bring out the play's ode to noir by hamming up the dramatic tension during the climatic standoff and keeping up with the brisk cadence of rapid fire dialogue. What is also fun about this play is its use of cliched twists and turns, and even character backstories. There are plenty of little surprises, so of course, no spoilers here.

If you're looking for a night of light-hearted comedy disguised as a noir, this is the show for you.

Running Time: 90 minutes with a 10-minute intermission

Caption & credit (featured image): Zoë Bowen Smith and Matthew Marcus in Best Medicine Rep's production of In The Gutter. Photo by Mia Amado.

Best Medicine Rep's In The Gutter runs from February 24, 2023 through March 19, 2023 at Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, MD. Tickets can be purchased here.

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