Dropping chandeliers, poisonous darts, and exploding staircases could only mean one thing; something’s afoot and the butler didn’t do it. Terry Lewis directs and vocal coaches Good Company Player’s Something’s Afoot, a British comedy set in 1935 in which the entire cast dies. The show runs Wednesday through Sunday until January 11, 2009.
The play takes place at the country house of Lord Dudley Rancour, located somewhere on an island in the middle of a lake. Lettie (Veronica Smida Weber) the new maid, Flint (Dan Pessano) the caretaker, and Clive (Michael Antonio-Torralva) the butler, prepare the house for the upcoming guests who have been invited for “A Marvelous Weekend” with Lord Rancour. As the guests arrive, their dream weekend takes a turn for the worse when the guests discover that Lord Rancour and Clive are dead.
Miss Tweed (Barbara W. Vlymen) decides to investigate, the others immediately start pointing fingers at their newest guest Geoffrey (Taylor Babcock) a college student caught in the storm. Throughout the progression of the play the guests become aware that their significance here was not a coincidence and realize they have past connections with Lord Rancour as well as each other. The only known heir to the Rancour estate is Nigel Rancour (Jamie Briceno) nephew to Lord Rancour, whose only interest is finding the will and making sure he’s in it. One by one, the guests start dying by traps set up throughout the house and it soon becomes clear that no one is safe and no one is innocent.
The play itself was a great idea. Though it may be somewhat unknown, it holds strong enough to fill the theater as the show progresses. I also felt that the crew put a lot into this production. From the eye dropping set design by David Pierce, to the out there costumes by Ginger Lewis-Reed, there wasn’t a boring moment to see.
Another credit due is towards the choreography made so by Julie Lucido. Though the steps were sometimes out of sync, the dances themselves fit each character and number perfectly. One number that stood out for me in particular was “The Legal Heir” sung by the character of Nigel. The choreography in this number fit the character with the elegance yet giddiness that is Nigel. He jumps, turns, and leaps all while remaining sneaky and singing.
The show held a cast of about 10 characters that each stood out in their own way. Probably one of my favorites was Flint, the caretaker. The way Dan Pessano portrayed his character made the show even that more interesting. He went about with the idea that maybe Flint is the killer and it came across perfectly throughout the show until his death occurred, but even then the finger was still pointed at him. His character had most of the comic lines, and I have the feeling that had Flint been played by anyone but Pessano, the comedy wouldn’t have come across to the audience as much.
One problem I did have was with the sound, done by Andrea Henrickson/Dave Filipczak. Though the theatre itself is small, it was very difficult to hear any of the actors. Projection didn’t seem to be the cause of the problem. Also, the music was very low and there were times when the actors would be off tempo because of it.
The entire cast seemed to just melt into their characters as if they’ve been doing it for years. Not one person looked out of place, and this made it easier to really fall into the story. Each British accent was done with a certain charm that was over the top, yet believable. All in all, this production of Something’s Afoot is defiantly worth your money and time.
For more information on exact show times and ticket prices contact the box office at (559) 266-9494 or visit there website at www.gcplayers.com.
