Faith In Performance: A Double Dose of Murder

Workshop theater is staging a Double Dose of Murder, written by Alan LeBoeuf, at the Pumphouse theater from the 28th of February to the 8th of March. The play is a murder mystery, written using the genre-faithful principles of economical storytelling, sharply defined characters and an inner pulse of psychological intrigue. The play takes place in a secluded resort on a sub-tropical island, following the investigative pursuits of Inspector Sorochan and Sergeant McTeague. I do not like deconstructing murder mysteries for prospective audiences, this is generally a bad idea. The plot, the intrigue and the denouement form the holy trinity of a murder mystery- best left untouched before the curtain rises. What I can comment on is the stellar psychological realism that the production creates for us on stage. There are no histrionics and no performative hysteria for us to see in this production, but true to the naturalist aesthetic of Emile Zola (French Writer) we see ensemble acting that is liberated from melodramatic contrivance. Zola called for a complete abandonment of all contrivance from the arts. That art should be a scientific representation of human life, this is admittedly an extreme position but there are elements of it worth appreciating. There are no universal aesthetic or performative standards; the only question is what works within the genre the performers inhabit. The director (Evan Davies) and the cast have established a performative standard for this community theater production that is nothing less than outstanding. True to the ethic of this blog, I accept the given circumstances of a production and accept them on their own terms (within the confines of the genre) the only question is whether a production itself truly believes those terms. It is easy to see when a production does not. Very few actors are skilled enough to conceal an inability to invest belief into the world they inhabit on stage. The audience can sniff it out, betrayals will be found in the most minor of gestures, like a good detective, the audience is always watching- piecing together the truth from the smallest of inconsistencies. In this production, the belief is immense, so palpable you could cut it with a knife. Belief is a tricky thing, always riddled with doubt, suspicion and minor moments of self-defeat. Whatever hardship the creative team and actors had to work through to get here, it works. Individual talent, no matter how profound, will always come short at creating a believable world on stage, no individual can lift a community on their own, this is especially true for the theater. The only way to create the conditions of believability on something as fragile as the stage is for the entire ensemble to move and act as one. Reality is shared and not individually constructed, so too is faith a collective act and in this production that ensemble faith is total. Not to put too fine a point on it, but true to St. Augustine's statement, "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe", the secular import of this for actors is relevant. They are being asked to believe a world that exists only on paper, a set of conceptions and lines in a script that they must conjure life and spirit from. It is painful, difficult and beset with all sorts of psychological and social obstructions. There is a fair amount of passionate cynicism on this blog, but there is also a passionate ardor to profusely appreciate the moments of theatrical excellence when and where we find them. I found it in this production, true to St. Augustine's maxim on faith, they created an intimate world, replete with embodied faith. Does it get a little campy in between? Sure, but it is precisely because you are invested in the artistic and performative terms of the production that you could very well interpret those moments as self-aware, meta-ironical flourishes. The blocking was excellent. There was a moment when there were 10 (maybe more) characters on stage and at no time during the scene did anyone look incongruous or come across as physically incommensurate to the dimensions of the performative space. The talent was rich, very rich. Anne Hodgson as Inspector Sorochan exuded quiet charm and understated cunning. Her performance was a masterclass on 'less is more'- Psychological minimalism, performative precision and emotional subtlety. It was a surgical exhibition of talent and intelligence. Mark Edwards as Sergeant McTeague executed the noir detective archetype with skill, never overstating it, letting the dialogue do the work and playing off Anne's economical energy with a steady and grounded presence. Warren Jones as Sergeant Oughterbridge was unconventional, at first the performative register he exhibits is hard to understand, but this is deliberate, he is an uncanny character and Jones fully owns the role. Ray Mordan as Nikolai Zherev was quirky and offbeat, throwing a steady barrage of well-timed puns towards the audience. His execution was excellent. Rod Mcfadyen & Peter Warne, as Oliver Truscott & Shane Wurtz put up believable performances, never looking out of place. Their presence felt organic. Tara Rorke as Miriam Zherev plays her character with brilliance. Every entry and exit is suffused with performative momentum and energy, her intent is razor-sharp and her delivery is supported by a strong and deliberate cadence. Olivia Beare as Cynthia Truscott was equally brilliant, playing her character with a restrained tempestuousness and irascibility. Never playing it too much or letting it overpower the centrality of her character, this is hard to do and she did it with aplomb. Mya Swedburg effused vulnerability, bringing life to her character with authenticity and emotional simplicity. Paige Fossheim as Ash Tollivier creates a believable character; she never throws the kitchen sink at her scenes, and this is the hallmark of an actor who understands the necessity of maintaining performative balance and stability. Alex Meyer as Mitch Wallander was reliable, playing with an easy and relaxed pace, maybe too relaxed sometimes. Jeremy Epp as Clyde Weeks was dependable as the bartender, some notes were off in the first act but his performance strengthened when acting with Anne & Mark, this is the magic of good ensemble work, a rising tide lifts all boats. The lighting (Richard Goth) was intuitive and intelligent, dimming the lights during the interrogation scenes was a particularly insightful way of shaping the mise-en-scène on stage. The costumes (Jacquie Goth) were well thought out and signified the psychological composition of the characters with effectiveness. Terry Schmidt & Xian Christie create a set that works as a very effective backdrop to the drama on stage. The direction was excellent, creating a performative standard that works harmoniously with the nuances of the cast, allowing their collective talent to shine through. The play did drag a little in the second half; this is likely due to the script lacking any dramatic bombshells before the denouement. Sustaining interest during the latter half of a talkie drama is no easy feat, but the cast sets up the first half of the play so effectively that by the end, you're invested enough to have faith that the payoff is worth that journey. It is not a Pulitzer prize script but it is good enough (I will not deconstruct it for reasons mentioned earlier) for actors to sink their teeth in and for the audience to immerse themselves in. Every audience member has favorite performative standards, mine quite admittedly is authentic expressivity, one that embraces the messiness and contrariety of human behavior. It is also a standard that eschews from formulaic and soulless acting. That is why this production is so refreshing; for a brief moment, we see the stage become the world, and we believe.

I loved this production, I may just go again.

Rating 8/10