MURDER SQUARED

THE BASICS: This quartet of murder stories by local playwright Gary Earl Ross plays weekends at Ujima's Theater Loft through December 19th. The cast of nine has been co-directed by Ross and Bob Ball. The piece runs a little over two hours with its single intermission.

ABOUT THE PLAY: MURDER SQUARED (which I think just means "murder times four") is an affectionate tribute to late '50s-early '60s TV--in particular, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone, shows which appear to have had a major influence upon the playwright as a child. Content-wise, we're closer to Hitchcock, but there is a strain of the fantastic in the final sketch, and the all-important, moralizing, tie-up-all-the-loose-ends narrator is a chip off the old Rod Serling. All four vignettes offer a surprise or two, and the opener The Engineer serves up some palpable tension. In the end, though, Engineer is too much of a muddle, with not enough of the back-story making its way to our eager ears. Anything for Money, a little morality play about how greed transcends social class, has some dark Hitchcockian humor in it, thanks to an unseen corpse (I'll say no more). Heart of the Matter, a cautionary tale for caregivers, has a truly bizarre plot-required twist that may take you beyond your ability to suspend disbelief. Both Money and Heart are greatly aided by the acting of Aaron Krygier, who makes a very believable sociopath. The last tale, Return to Riverside Falls, gives veteran Hugh Davis a chance to strut his dramatic stuff, but not much else. The piece is too long and draggy, and the surprise element at the end really comes out of left field.

THE PRODUCTION: It's bare bones, the type you are going to see more and more of in the Age of Collins. On the whole, the acting has a sort of cheesy quality which, whether intentional or not, hearkens back to early TV. Only the outsized caricatures in the second part of Money seem dissonant, and work against that sketch.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Passable entertainment, nostalgic, with a few laughs, but little or no dramatic payoff. Maybe playwright Ross could downsize to three vignettes, amplifying and clarifying the material. It'd be long enough, and you can always change the name (Three Grave Tales, Make Mine Murder or what have you). Kudos to Ujima for a giving a new work like this a place to be seen. If I was doing fractional buffalos, this would get two-and-a half, but since I'm not, and since it's the holiday season, I'll round up...

*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)

ONE BUFFALO:  This means trouble.   A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both.  Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.

TWO BUFFALOS:  Passable, but no great shakes.  Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic.  Unless you are the sort of person who's happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.

THREE BUFFALOS:  I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater.  If you don't go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.

FOUR BUFFALOS:  Both the production and the play are of high caliber.  If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.