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.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare
rating. Comedies that leave you
weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show
you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!