MONEY-MOTIVATED MURDER, MAKING MAYHEM — FIGURE IT OUT AT THE OLRC
By Jeremy Gordon, for USU Media & Marketing
Lead pipe. Mr. Mustard. In the dining room.
For years, people have amused themselves by trying to figure out who-done-it, and this summer the Old Lyric Repertory Company provides yet another opportunity to do so in the next production to open, “The Murder Room.” The ending is a surprise and the middle is full of laughs, with trick doors and mistaken identities reminiscent of last summer’s “One for the Pot.”
Jack Sharkey’s “The Murder Room” is the fourth show in OLRC’s season, opening Thursday, July 10, and running throughout the season until its closing on Saturday, Aug. 2.
At the heart of this zany thriller are Edgar and Mavis, a pair of upper class, British newlyweds. Two days into marital wedded bliss, Edgar finds his new wife telling blatant lies about where she has been. From there on out chaos reigns as Mavis tries to poison Edgar, shoots him, and then loses the body. Somewhere in the mix is a runaway cat, snoopy housekeeper, an unexpected arrival of a stepdaughter and an all too familiar inspector calling. While trying to make the pieces fit and discovering the culprit, laughs are sure to come with mistaken identities, trick doors and a fall down the stairs, said production director Lynda Linford.
A Utah State University professor of theatre arts, this is Linford’s 15th season at the OLRC, where she has both acted and directed.
“I wanted to direct OEThe Murder Room‚ because the play’s hilarity is crisp, urbane and unashamedly farcical,” said Linford. “It’s zany, fast-paced and loads of the frivolous fantastic. It has absolutely no socially or politically redeeming qualities, no axes to grind, no special interest groups to placate or incite.”
Linford, who recently directed Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” in England, said that this type of a play is a different challenge for her. She and the designers have used much of the same costume and set research, but are facing an entirely different context.
“We’ve created a very classy period piece that satirizes those charming murder mysteries of the 30s,” said Linford. “It’s more Monty Python than Perry Mason.”
Playing the villainous bride, Mavis, is New York equity actor Amy Tribbey, an actor well traveled on the regional circuit. This is her first season at the OLRC, where she will be acting and co-directing the final production on the schedule, “Last Train to Nibroc.” In “The Murder Room” her husband and the victim, Edgar, will be played by Lyric favorite Lee Daily in his eighth season at the OLRC. The director advises audiences to keep their eyes peeled ~ Edgar is not the only person Daily plays in the show.
Susan Dolan, Salt Lake City equity actor, will play the snooping Irish housekeeper who always wants to know more than may actually be healthy. The inspector called in to solve the mystery, James Crandall, will be played by William Warren, a graduate of Utah State University who works in regional theater. Chrislynn Call will play Mavis’s stepdaughter who drops by unexpectedly with her fiancé. Call, a multi-talented student, begins graduate studies in scene
design this fall at Utah State. Her American beau is played by Phillip R. Lowe in his fourth season with OLRC, both as an actor and as a costume designer.
Playwright Sharkey is a prolific author, mainly penning farces that are seen in regional and summer theaters. “The Murder Room,” which has been described as Agatha Christie meets Monty Python meets Abbot and Costello, is a classic example of Sharkey’s work. He is known for his witty use of word play to produce humor. “There are lots of running gags, triple-takes and pratfalls,” said Linford. “But, a good deal of humor arises from a OEloss of dignity.‚”
It should be a night of fun and surprises, Linford concluded.
The OLRC season includes five shows running in repertory from June 12 through Aug. 9. The first, “On Golden Pond,” is followed by the comical tunes of “Forever Plaid,” the barking madness of “Sylvia,” the who-done-it fun of “The Murder Room” and a classic love story in “The Last Train to Nibroc.”
“This year’s company is particularly bright and beautiful,” said Linford. “It’s always a joy working with such an organized company and shop, with both professional technicians and actors.”
According to the OLRC publicity office, this season offers many more promotions throughout the season, including weekly Web site giveaways, special performance night promotions and autograph opportunities. Watch the Web site for details and keep an eye out for the OLRC Promo Jeep ~ catch the driver to win merchandise, tickets and more. For more information on promotional activities and ushering opportunities, call (435) 797-1500.
Tickets are currently available, including the OLRC’s Flex-Pass option. A Flex-Pass
Season Subscription is five coupons to any evening performance of choice (subject to ticket availability). There is also a matinee Flex-Pass option for even more savings. Pricing and ticket information is available by calling (435) 797-0305 or visiting www.usu.edu/lyric. Tickets can be purchased at the Smith Spectrum ticket office on the Utah State campus (7600 Old Main Hill, Logan).
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