In most “whodunits,” the emphasis is on who committed the crime in question.
In Pentacle Theatre’s current production of Night Watch, much of the play asks the question, “Was a crime committed at all?” This is because the dead bodies seen by Elaine Wheeler (Lynelle Littke) from the back window of her house disappear before anyone else has a chance to see them. Also, Elaine’s insomnia and nervousness call her sanity into question, even though she remains insistent that what she saw was real. However, the question becomes not only about Elaine’s sanity, but also about past and present betrayals.
Working with a superb script by Lucille Fletcher (produced on Broadway in 1972), Director Susan Schoaps and Assistant Director David Janoviak produced a fine performance from their actors. The lead actors were all solid and convincing as Elaine Wheeler, a frail-looking, neurotic heiress; John Wheeler (Todd Logan), her mostly patient but commanding husband; and Blanche Cook (Jodi Deming), Elaine’s best friend, houseguest, and nurse. As Elaine descends further and further down the path to apparent madness, the audience is confused by John and Blanche who oscillate between what seems to be real concern for Elaine and wanting to take advantage of her condition to send her away to a clinic in Switzerland. Elaine frays more and more at the edges, taking comfort by smoking with trembling hands as John vents his frustration in more and more explosive outbursts. Blanche uses a nurse’s condescending tone to the point where neither Elaine, nor the audience, trusts her any longer.
Other acting standouts were two supporting characters, Helga the maid (Maggie Dayton) and Curtis Appleby, the neighbor (Ed Kramer). Dayton brings Helga, the German maid, to life by teetering on that thin line between stereotype and comedy. With her hair done up in a Frau braid, and descending the stairs sideways to emphasize her age and creaky knees, the Helga character, who is in the play mostly for comic relief, seems more real than the leads of some shows. The same goes for Mr. Kramer’s Curtis Appleby, the verging-on-flamboyantly gay neighbor who invites himself over to the Wheelers’ house in the aftermath of the first incident. Foppishly dressed, this character also verges on stereotype, but Kramer injects real sympathy into the character, which allows the audience to sympathize with him.
Taking place in an opulent apartment in Manhattan that inexplicably backs up to a tenement, the set for the show is very well done, with just enough rich pieces to support the admiring comments of the characters that come inside.
As a side note, Pentacle is testing a service called “In Loop,” which allows people with hearing aides to “tune in” to the audio of the show. The audience clapped in approval when this was announced, and I saw several people switching their hearing aids to the appropriate channel.
As a whole, the show was very enjoyable. When I watch suspenseful plays, I try to guess the end by asking myself, “What’s the most outrageous way this plot can end?” I came up with several scenarios, each more complicated than the last. Even so, at the end of the show, I was totally surprised by the twist, which is a benchmark of a good thriller for me.
Pentacle Theatre will run through October 23. Visit pentacletheatre.org for more information.
