On Theater: Real, unreal collide in ‘Postmortem’
The bloodlines of Ken Ludwig’s play “Postmortem” are long and circuitous. They begin with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Sherlock Holmes, and extend through the master sleuth’s most celebrated interpreter, William Gillette, and finally to Ludwig himself for combining all these elements into one juicy, murderous package.
Ludwig wrote this play in 1983, but it’s just now emerging onto the local theater scene, courtesy of the Newport Theatre Arts Center and director Gigi Fusco Meese, who has mounted a clever and highly enjoyable production. The show may call to mind the movie “The Cat’s Meow,” a fascinating traumatic episode in the life of William Randolph Hearst.
Meese skillfully merges the real with the unreal, introducing Gillette and several representations of actual people. Included are his sister, whose husband plays Professor Moriarty, and his aunt, who shares his “Gillette Castle,” where the play is set in the late 1920s.
Along for the ride are Bobby Carlyle, who’s somewhat of a playboy, escorting May Dison, who has assumed the role of her sister — who was murdered a year ago to the day. And then there’s Louise, a former actress now dabbling in spirituality and setting up a seance to contact the slain ingenue.
Taking on the role of Gillette, and by extension the Holmesian crime-solving talent it implies, is Greg Stitch, a commanding presence who conveys the detective’s subtle mannerisms and his assumed authority. Stitch admirably faces up to a gun-wielding foe who, apparently, is out to give Gillette his last curtain call.
Alex DesCombes enacts Bobby as a free-spirited youth caught in a murderous web of intrigue attempting to protect May, who’s nicely interpreted by Holly Baker-Kreiswirth as a principled young actress who worships the great Gillette.
As the cunning Moriarty portrayer Leo Barrett, Jeff Bickel scores in a lower dramatic key than most of the others, the higher notes going to his wife, Marion (Gillette’s sister, though that’s not emphasized here), who’s given a performance of controlled nastiness by Dee Shandera. Yvonne Robertson shines in contrast as the more controlled Lily, Gillette’s aunt.
Into this collection of contrary characters steps Louise, a former actress apparently driven cuckoo by the deadly dealings of a year ago. This inflammatory role is beautifully torched by the ravings of Della Lisi Kerr, whose physical allure is firmly matched by her robust dramatic talent.
There are enough red herrings in this play to fill a fisherman’s boat, not the least of which is the stooped-over butler Macready, cleverly played by Tom Heiber. And Andrew Otero has delivered a masterful setting, as well as dressing the set and the actors.
“Postmortem” is a rattling good evening of mystery theater involving some real people of yesteryear in a suspenseful, and often comical, hunt for an unseen killer. It’s a full-course dramatic dinner at the Newport Theatre Arts Center.
TOM TITUS reviews local theater.
If You Go
What: “Postmortem”
Where: Newport Theater Arts Center, 2501 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays until Oct. 11
Cost: $17
Call: (949) 631-0288
