Review: Pull on Your Deerstalkers for SLEUTH at Allenberry

There are many things to love about Allenberry Playhouse. One of them is that there's always a mystery on the schedule; not every theatre practically guarantees murder, mayhem, and detection. Of course you can get that at one of Allenberry's murder mystery weekends, but if you can't spend that much time away from everything (or can't handle that much food), somewhere in the season there will be a play that will satisfy the primal craving to know whodunit. This year, Artistic Director Ryan Gibbs wisely placed SLEUTH on the menu in order to make sure that there's more work for the undertaker and more fun for the mystery fans.

When Anthony Shaffer wrote SLEUTH, he appeared to be doing nothing more than following in the footsteps of other mystery playwrights. But when audiences first saw it in London and New York in 1970, they immediately realized they'd been handed something very different from the typical murder mystery. Bodies weren't necessarily dead. The constabulary might be there, or maybe not. It and Agatha Christie's THE MOUSETRAP went through the same theatre in London, and there are some faint similarities. Not only are they both set in English countryside manors - but then, so are most English murder mysteries, or so it seems - but they both rely on some truly fine double-blinds to fool the audience. That SLEUTH was a Tony winner in 1970 was apparent quickly.

What's different about SLEUTH? For one thing, there's massive humor, most of it black, but all of it funny. While it's not a comedy, the humorous moments of the play are frequent and actually work. For another, no matter what's done to try to fool the audience, we know it's a two-hand play despite the appearance of the police. Even an inspector calling cannot detract from the show's centering around two incredibly self-centered men, author Andrew Wyke and travel agent Milo Tindle. Both appear to love a game; both claim to be in love with Andrew's wife, Marguerite. Whether she or gamesmanship is really more important to either or both of them is the stuff of which this show is made.

There's no appearance of Marguerite and little description of her other than as shrewd and grasping, with a number of previous lovers. But the only thing of Marguerite's that is of any value to the show is her valuable jewelry, because game players Milo and Andrew have a special game they've created - of stealing her heavily insured gems. That Andrew and Milo really dislike each other and that they can't possibly work together well seems not to occur to them, which sets off the entire series of unfortunate events.

Famed mystery writer Wyke is played here by Paul Carlin (Allenberry audiences may have seen him earlier this season in DAMN YANKEES). If he seems to know his way around the manor extremely well, it's because he's played Milo at Allenberry in the past. Carlin gives Wyke a full sense of silk dressing gowns, smoking pistols, magnifying glasses, and warped humor, as the part deserves. It's said that when Shaffer wrote SLEUTH he was thinking of Stephen Sondheim, whom he knew at the time; Carlin is able to evoke that feeling of being Sondheim, and to convey Sondheim's Puckishness. It's a lovely performance and well worth appreciating. Milo, played by Kevin Loreque, is a study in contrasts - sure about his relationship with Wyke's wife, insecure about his family background and how common it seems compared to Wyke's. Loreque brings out all of those contrasts while highlighting Milo's own streak of competitive gamesmanship once the moment is right.

Inspector Doppler - for what is a mystery without a detective? - is credited as neophyte TK Thompson. Doppler is the English Columbo, without doubt; poorly groomed, coat hanging, inquisitive of the most minute details and surprisingly shrewd. If anything is off, perhaps it's that, in a key makeup point, his false beard is of the most Amish trim, and there's no call for English Amish police (a joke that perhaps works best among those who know the Pennsylvania Dutch well). Unlike Columbo, Doppler is not averse to a drink while on duty, although this is not at all the most surprising thing about him. Although Doppler's appearance is brief, it's highly enjoyable.

Much of SLEUTH is fair - there's no secret adversary behind the scenes, no one hiding behind the curtain, no surprise witness for the prosecution to emerge at the last minute. All cards are on the table - or so it seems. The ending, while surprising, is also fair; it works with the story, and nothing's left unexplained, even though at least five red herrings are strewn throughout. But it's still enough to keep audience heads spinning.

Scenic designer Tabitha Pease has done a magnificent job with the set, creating a study of which any mystery writer could be proud, with a few prime notes of game and puzzle clutter that must have kept the props department on its toes. Kudos to everyone in these departments for the execution of this very realistic set and furnishings.

Mystery lovers should be very pleased with this production, and Ryan Gibbs should be pleased at his knitting this together so beautifully. It's a play that looks easy when it isn't, and to make it look this easy means considerable effort from all sides went into it.

At Allenberry through October 31 (certainly a perfect day to see it). Call 717-258-3211 or visit Allenberry.com for tickets and information.

(Author's note: Authors Margery Allingham, JB Priestley, Lemony Snicket, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie were not harmed at any point where their titles were woven into the article for no good reason.)

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