THE GAMES AFOOT review

If, like myself, you are an avid Sherlock Holmes fan this rousing comedy, full of mystery and suspense, is the chance to visit with the super sleuth. 

Playwright Ken Ludwig's script is cleverly based on the 19^th century actor William Gillette who donned a deerstalker hat and smoked a crooked pipe when he performed Holmes over a thousand times. Gillette was one of the biggest stage stars of his day, extremely wealthy, and lived in Connecticut in a 24-room mansion that he designed himself to look like a medieval castle.

 

This play is a mystery thriller with many characters, and anyone present could have done it! 

After an attempt on his life, Gillette has invited members of his theater company there for a Christmas weekend.  His actor-guests are a delightful bunch, flirting and teasing each other mercilessly with sly digs, even as they grandly quote from Shakespeare. All are extravagant characters with underlying motives and superb comic timing so, when one of his guests falls victim to foul play, the evening darkens and becomes a double whodunit. 

 Neil Thompson is calmly clever as the enigmatic Gillette; Clara Rodriguez is sweetly dotty as his carefree mother; Sascha Vanderslik and Troy Whitaker are delightfully devious as newlyweds with a dark secret; Patrick Skelton and Barbara Brownell are a joyful married couple who enjoy fun and games, and Susan Priver is hilarious as a glamorous but vindictive theater reviewer (hmmm) who admits with great glee that she has panned everyone there. Also delightful is Michele Schultz as the local police inspector who forgets her badge at the precinct and is suspicious of everything that moves.

Bombastically directed by Larry Eisenberg, who emphasizes the tongue-in-cheek nature of the comedy with larger-than-life emotions and theatrical gestures. The set by Chris Winfield is superb, and colorful costumes by Angela M. Eads capture the era. Bravos to producer Lloyd Pedersen. At The Group Rep's Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd. NOHO. Tickets: 818-763-5990 or http://www.thegrouprep.com