Photo Credit: George Katsekes Jr.
Agatha Christie’s clever storytelling animates the stage of the Furlan Auditorium as the Sunset Playhouse presents A Murder Is Announced. Formal notice in a local paper mentioning an upcoming homicide at a spacious British residence comes as quite a surprise to those living there in a tale of tension capably brought to the stage by director Carol Dolphin. A distinctly refined amusement at the absurdities of the announcement casually shifts through a comfortably large ensemble cast lounging about a respectably immersive set by Matthew Carr.
The cast inhabiting the stage has an interesting momentum. Tamara Martinsek casually commands authority in the role of matriarch Letitia Blacklock. Dana Leone Strothenke and Evan Prier are painstakingly distant from each other as brother and sister Julia and Patrick Simmons. Tanya Tranberg brings a charmingly comic element to the stage as refugee domestic servant Mitzi.
Gradually, the relaxed bemusement fades in the encroaching darkness of anticipation. Invariably, murder does occur. The complex and twisted, but carefully planned-out machinations of murder are gradually delved into with brisk pacing as a shrewd Cory Klein plays Inspector Craddock parsing apart the dense convolutions of human intention, aided by a very calm and unflappable Annette Olson as Christie’s beloved mystery-loving sleuth Miss Marple.
Agatha Christie’s deft balance between increasing tensions can be very difficult to bring to the stage flawlessly. There are moments in the staging that drag ever so slightly at times. Overall, however, it’s just fascinating very well-crafted story brought to the stage once more. Christie’s work has a stylishness about it that brings depth to any cast.
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A Murder is Announced runs through Feb. 2 at the Furlan Auditorium on 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For ticket reservations and more call 262-782-4430 visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
