'Unexpected Guest' Has Clues, Many Diversions
By Michael Toscano Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, November 2, 2006; PW02
Agatha Christie's grip on suspense was definitely loosening by 1958 when she wrote "The Unexpected Guest," another in her long, long line of whodunit murder mysteries set in remote country estates with a houseful of suspects.
Having gone to the same well so many times, she seems to have been grasping for some unique twist that would set this one apart. So she solves the mystery for us in the first two minutes. And then spends the rest of the play unsolving it and throwing red herrings at us like so much chum.
Any devoted Christie fan will have the mystery solved after the first few scenes. But, and perhaps this is her genius, that leaves a very long time to begin second-guessing, as the celebrated writer's penchant for misdirection gives one pause.
Even if you were originally correct, as you probably are, your mind remains engaged. And maybe Dame Agatha was not yet in her dotage after all.
Castaways Repertory Theatre has tackled "The Unexpected Guest" in what seems to be an annual trotting out of a Christie thriller. The past few tries have been less than thrilling. With this one, under the direction of Kevin Kirby, they finally seem to be getting a handle on the genre.
Kirby's cast is uneven, and there are a few clunkers onstage, but he mostly has his players in check with economical and effective performances. He allows tension to build and play itself out in a dynamic tempo that greatly enhances audience involvement. Although the setting is supposedly a foggy estate in Wales, Kirby plays down the English location and has jettisoned any thought of attempting English accents, freeing his actors to concentrate on acting and not linguistics.
Kirby apparently sees himself as a theater auteur, listing no fewer than 10 separate credits in the program. The direction is good, the set design is quite effective and nice to look at, the set seems soundly constructed, the sound design is evocative, the props are nicely picked and placed and, well, you get the picture.
Here's the plot outline: It is a dark and foggy night. A man (Carl Brandt Long) makes his way through a glass door into an unlit manor house study and almost stumbles over a body propped up in a wheelchair. He turns and flashes his light on a woman (Pamela Sabella) standing motionless in the dark, a large gun in her trembling hand. The dead guy is the husband, the woman with the gun is the wife, and the stumbling man is the guest who is not expected.
The wife says she shot her husband, and the only mystery left is how she and the stranger will conspire to cover up her crime.
Dame Agatha has written some long scenes in Act One that will have you saying to yourself over and over: "People just don't act this way. A stranger does not instantly involve himself in someone else's murderous activity. A murderer does not eagerly accept help from somebody who happens to just tumble through the window moments after a killing. A family does not accept that a stranger in their home has inserted himself into such a situation." It's all off-kilter.
Now you know Christie has to pull it all together in the end, to make the unfathomable necessary. Keeping that in mind will solve the mystery for you, provided you can suspend your disbelief at the way these people are acting. That, and the fact that the house seems alive, with doors that whoosh open by themselves and lights that turn themselves on and off.
The fickle finger of fatality points at the estate's seven denizens one by one, with two police officers on site primarily for comic relief. The plot meanders this way and that before coming to a sudden resolution that may be disappointing. But the journey to that point will be amusing.
"The Unexpected Guest" concludes this weekend, performed by Castaways Repertory Theatre at Ferlazo Auditorium in the Dr. A.J. Ferlazo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Drive, Woodbridge. Showtime Friday and Saturday is 8 p.m. For information or tickets, call 703-508-5418 or visithttp://www.castawaystheatre.org.
Auteur - A filmmaker, usually a director, who exercises creative control over his or her works and has a strong personal style.
Poor Richard. His wife loathed him. He was mauled by a lion. And when he was murdered, no one appeared to be overly upset - including his own mother.
"The Unexpected Guest," presented by Castaways Repertory Theatre, is a classic Agatha Christie whodunit with all the trappings: A houseful of people, some with connections, with a murderer lurking among them. And typically, it all takes place in an isolated location with bad weather.
This mystery begins with a dead guy, sitting in his wheelchair in the study. There are several suspects, who were very close to the big-game hunter, and of course, the unexpected guest, whose car got stuck in a ditch nearby.
Was it his creepy valet, Henry Angell? Or the protective family nurse Miss Bennett? Maybe it was his sweet, mentally challenged brother, Jan Warwick? Richard wanted to send the young man to a mental institution. Then there's Jullian Farrar, a suave politician who divides his time between his constituents and Richard's wife. And of course, could it be his beautiful wife, Laura Warwick? After all, she was found holding the gun.
As the stranded motorist, Carl Brandt Long brings an easy-going charm to Michael Starkwedder, who spends a little bit too much time with Laura. His character's attraction to Laura is obvious; even though she could be guilty, he sticks by her. He even painstakingly helps her cover up her husband's death.
As Laura Warwick, Pamela Sabella - vamping it up in a black dress and striking makeup - is visually perfect as the sweet housewife. She projects a cool detachment, but it would be nice to play up the sexy femme fatale in performance. She seems a bit uncomfortable in her earlier scenes, but by the second act is more relaxed and confident. Having watched "Clue" recently, Lesley Ann Warren would be dead-on in this kind of show.
For his limited time onstage, Greg Powell as the power-hungry politician is electric onstage. He shares a wonderful chemistry with Sabella, which amplifies their scenes together.
Patty McCoart as the dying Mrs. Warwick has a beautiful moment in the second act as she talks about her murdered son.
The auditorium at the Ferlazzo Building has been turned into an adventurer's paradise, practically lifted from Target's Global Home collection. The setting nicely represents Richard Warwick, whom viewers never got to the chance to meet, but from spending time in his home they are able to imagine his lifestyle. Posters of Cairo, Africa and a lion hang on the study's walls and statues of exotic creatures are littered about the stage. One of the posters hides a bullet-ridden wall spelling "R.W." Even when he's not traipsing the world, he still manages to find adventure without leaving home.
Kevin Kirby's production takes a nod to today's television crime shows such as "CSI," without losing that "Murder, She Wrote" quality. Henry Newman and Cassandra Newman portray Inspector Thomas and Sgt. Cadwallader, who arrive at the crime scene with briefcases and hi-tech gizmos that light up in the dark. It's fascinating to watch how they deconstruct and reconstruct Richard's murder.
Not only did Kirby direct, but he also served as producer, set designer, set decorator, sound designer, special effects designer, properties designer, photographer and publicist. He's an M. Night Shyamalan for the local theater community. But unlike that guy's last movie, this production is sure to be a hit among audiences.
Features editor Gail Choochan can be reached at (703) 878-8075.
WHEN YOU GO * "The Unexpected Guest"
* 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 4; 1 p.m. matinee Oct. 28
* Ferlazzo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Drive, Woodbridge
* Tickets: $11 to $14
* (703) 508-5418 or castawaystheatre.org
