All the unusual suspects
by Michael Dresdner
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| Rodman Bolek as McPherson All photos by Dennis K Photography |
Tacoma Little Theatre has been showcasing its 100th
year by offering plays they’ve done in the past. This time it is one that has
lain fallow for 70 some years, the 1940’s noir classic Laura. Director Randy
Clark assembled an excellent cast to unwind this classic murder mystery, one
well-larded with great characters and all the requisite surprises of a fine
whodunit. To set the mood, he relied not only on perfect props, set, and
costumes, but also chose to use the main curtain, something TLT rarely does.
As the curtain draws back we see a gorgeous city
apartment with a large portrait of a beautiful woman over the fireplace. It’s
the home of Laura, a successful advertising exec who was found dead there, with
much of her face blown away by a shotgun. Staring lovingly at the portrait is
detective Mark McPherson (Rodman Bolek), who while investigating the case has
rather fallen for the victim. He’s so taken with her that at one point he
believes he sees Laura (Victoria Ashley) walk through the door in the flesh. Or
is he just dreaming?
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| L to R: Victoria Ashley, Ben Stahl |
Meanwhile, he must sort through the cast of potential
suspects. They largely consist of a handful of men who have pursued the
beautiful Laura with varying strategies, and varying degrees of success. There’s
her fiancé, Shelby Carpenter (Randon Welch), a somewhat smarmy gold-digger who
is clearly losing Laura’s devotion. From downstairs in her building is Danny
Dorgan (Joel Thomas), a young man who visits Laura frequently on the pretext of
a shared taste in somewhat avant-garde music, but who secretly pines for the
older woman. Then there’s the tall, suave, erudite journalist Waldo Lydecker
(Ben Stahl) who fashions himself as Laura’s Pygmalion and showers her with
gifts and opportunities as he tries to craft her into someone who might adore
him in return.
Rounding out the cast is Danny’s mother, the building super,
Mrs. Dorgan (Robin McGee), her cook Bessie (Valeria Sanchez-Jimenez), and
another detective, Olsen (Steve Tarry) in a one minute, end-of-play walk-on
role.
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| L to R: Randon Welch, Victoria Ashley |
This is a classic mystery where the clues are doled out piecemeal
throughout the play, so I really can’t tell you much about the plot without
ruining the mystery. You’ll have to trust me that it is well done and adroitly
directed, with the action and pacing increasing as the play unfolds.
All the leads are quite admirable. Stahl is outstanding
as Lydecker, commanding the stage with his air of self-assured elegance and wealth.
Bolek handles the love-struck but focused detective quite convincingly, and
Welch is fully believable as the rather oily fiancée. Thomas also does nicely
as the slightly awkward young lothario, while Sanchez-Jimenez completely
inhabits the role of Bessie, the cook, with just the right body language and
mannerisms. And of course, it was nice to see the venerable Steve Tarry back on
stage after a recent hiatus.
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| L to R: Rodman Bolek, Valeria Sanchez-Jimenez |
By now it should come as no surprise that the technical
aspects were well up to TLT’s exceptionally high standards. A gorgeous set by
Blake York and scenic artist Jen York was graced by wonderful period props by
Jeffery Weaver, who also handles hair and make-up. Michele Graves once again
did a superb job on the period costumes, and Niclas Olson provided the lighting
design, which in this play does its own share of heavy lifting, providing both
mood and time cues. And let’s not forget stage manager Courtney Rainer who
handled a fairly complex show smoothly and flawlessly.
All in all, Laura is an easy to watch, very enjoyable
stage version of a classic noir murder mystery, steeped in period delights, and
bound to please anyone with a fondness for this popular genre.
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| L to R: Victoria Ashley, Rodman Bolek |
One final note: Last season’s The Pillowman has made it
to the national finals of the AACT theatre competition and will be traveling to
Gettysburg, PA for the last leg of the competition. Along the way they’ve
garnered awards for best set, best director, best actor, and best ensemble
cast. Now they need our help to raise money for travel expenses. They have less
than two months. Please consider pitching in (via the website) to send this
fine cast back east to represent our state, county, and favorite local theatre.
Laura
April 26 to May 12, 2019
Tacoma Little Theatre
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