Next Act Theater presents a real-life version of the board game "Clue" in its production of Murderers. However, unlike the popular board game, the play offers a heaping helping of wit, style, irony and complex characters.
As the play begins, all three of the show's characters make a brief entrance. Each admits to being a murder, then quickly exits. One by one, they later come forth to deliver a soul-baring monologue. Their murders are all committed at the same locale a fictional, upscale senior condominium complex in Florida. All three characters are living or working in the facility when the murders take place.
What sets Murderers apart from other whodunits is twofold: the brilliant script by award-winning playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, and a cast of seasoned actors. All three are known for their comic as well as dramatic talents. Both abilities come into play during their characters' monologues.
The lone male character is Gerald, who is forced by unusual circumstances to marry his girlfriend's mother. As Gerald, actor Norman Moses is likeable and well-meaning. He tries his best to make the unusual marital arrangement work.
Moses is dressed in a tuxedo, with a martini on a nearby side table. He tells his tale in a relaxed, unhurried manner as if he has all the time in the world. Little does the audience realize that Norman's appearance is a red herring to make the story's conclusion all the more unlikely. This cat-and-mouse game is repeated twice more, as the two women appear to tell their stories.
The second actor to take the stage is Ruth Schudson. As Lucy Stickler, she brings an unsentimental, no-nonsense approach to the darker aspects of life in the senior complex. She is a wronged woman who yearns to make a desperate, last-minute attempt at revenge.
The third actor, Linda Stephens, portrays Minka Lupino, the operation's membership director. Minka is chipper to the point of effervescence. She is perhaps the least likely murderer of all. However, one soon learns she is a secret avenging angel who has killed more than once. Minka announces her distain for the term "serial killer," noting that her lethal actions represent "the kind of murder planning our forefathers would have approved of." Her protectiveness toward the complex's residents fuels Minka's role in the disappearance of uncaring relatives, greedy businessmen, and others who prey on the defenseless residents.
Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher is not only an exceptional wordsmith; he carefully arranges his words to convey their maximum impact. The result is a heck of a good tale. All three stories are equally well-told by these gifted actors, under the direction of David Cescarini (the company's producing artistic director). With few sets or props to assist the actors, they must rely on verbal nuance, gesture, and the audience's imagination to keep their stories afloat. Their only visual prop is a backdrop of projected images from the senior citizen complex. They include Italian-looking condos, a golf course and well-manicured landscapes. Other images also flash before the audience's eyes, such as kitschy Florida postcards. These innocent-looking images of sunshine, oranges and birds are an ironic backdrop to the dramatic tales of treachery.
With so many appealing elements in play, it's no mystery why Murderers should draw large crowds during its month-long run.
