REVIEW: “The Murder Room” gives chuckles as mystery unravels

It’s a fine line between thinking you’re funny and being thought of as funny. The Old Lyric Repertory Company production of “The Murder Room” dabbles on both sides of that thin line.

“The Murder Room” is billed as a fast-paced British comedy that mixes elements of farce and a good old-fashioned whodunnit. Playwright Jack Sharkey uses words and clever repartee like “Noises Off” uses doors. The characters throw one-liners and confusing questions back and forth with ease and when they are comfortable with letting the script be funny, the audience receives the benefit. “The Murder Room” has also been described as Abbot and Costello meets Agatha Christie, with a little Monty Python thrown in. One of the funniest aspects of the production, in fact, are the “Who’s on First Base”-like bits of banter that are sprinkled throughout the comedy.

“The Murder Room” tells the story of bland Edgar Hollister, played by eight-year OLRC veteran W. Lee Daily, who marries a golddigger, Mavis Templeton, played by Amy Tribbey. After a couple hours of painful marriage, Mavis apparently tries various means to bump off her apparently rich husband. All of this is just apparently, because blank shells might have been in the pistol – who knows? – and maybe the cat didn’t really die when it drank the poisoned cocoa – who knows? – and maybe it was all a dream, or amnesia.

Disguises, mixed-up identities, trap doors, changing motivations, bumbling policemen and overdone characterizations are all part and parcel of a good farce and “The Murder Room” has them all, and all play a part. After Edgar Hollister disappears — was he murdered or did he just “come up missing”? — the characters begin to play cat and mouse with each other and with the audience, with a heavy emphasis on the script’s wordplay.

Besides the dependable Daily and smooth, professional-level Tribbey, the audience is introduced to Susan Hollister, a daughter who has been away in America going to college (played by Chrislynn Call) and Barry Draper, her finance (Phillip Lowe). Entering as a Sherlock Holmes-wanneabe is Officer James Crandall (William Grey Warren). Rounding out the simple cast is the housekeeper – every good farce needs a good housekeeper – Lottie Malloy (Susan Dolan) and a second officer of the law, Constable Howard, also played by Daily.

Call is a pleasant surprise, playing the blonde daughter – who might be in the will, or she might not – in a delightfully ditsy manner. She bounces around the stage on her tippie-toes and every joke seems to fly right over her head. She ends up stealing the show. Her interactions with Constable Howard at the beginning of the second act keep the production on task and rescue it from being too self-indulgent. Occasionally the director leaves messy footprints in this production, overusing repetitive presentations of some material in the manner of an inside joke or a wink to the audience. When such humor comes as a natural enhancement of the characters, it works, but here it is most often just irritating.

One of the stars of the show is also the set. It is a rich, dark parlor room in an English manor and literally spills out over the front of the stage. There are plenty of secret panels and it is visually perfect, almost to point of overwhelming. Costumes are also wonderful, and Mavis delights us with a different elaborate outfit each time she comes on stage, as do others.

“The Murder Room” will not have audience members holding their sides with laughter; it’s more cerebral than that. But as English farces are wont to do, it will make you at least snicker a time or two as you watch – and listen – to the characters unravel what little mystery there is to be had.

“The Murder Room” is playing in repertory with “Sylvia,” “On Golden Pond,” “The Last Train to Nibroc” and “Forever Plaid.”