Play review
You'll die laughing in 'The Murder Room'
By Sally Carpenter sallyc@theacorn.com

HABEAS CORPUS- Is Edgar Hollister murdered or just trapped in "The Murder Room" at the Stage Door Theatre? Seated from left, Michael Willens, Denice Stradling and Rosemary Bird. Standing from left, Shea Taylor, Terry Fishman and Marilyn Zaslow. The show runs through July 21 in Agoura Hills.

The best way to experience "The Murder Room" at the Stage Door Theatre is to see it. Describing it might ruin the fun of this madcap mystery.

The script by Jack Sharkey is a spoof of British mystery thrillers. There are all the elements of a classic English whodunit- the stodgy upper crust, irreverent servants, the spooky old house in the deserted countryside, dark nights, the persistent police force and little violence.

Mavis Templeton Hollister (Denice Stradling) returns home to Brynwood Cottage in northern England. She's surprised that her husband, Edgar Hollister (Terry Fishman), is still alive. He's surprised that she claims to have attended a church meeting that was canceled.

Edgar grills Mavis about her whereabouts. Stradling is hilarious as she attempts to dream up explanations to cover her tracks. Their banter turns serious as she shoots him- three times, as her aim is poor.

The next morning she files a missing persons report on her husband. Police Inspector James Crandall (Michael Willens) takes the case, joined by Constable Abel Howard (Fishman again in a double role), who reports that Mavis' cat was found dead from ingesting a poisoned cup of cocoa meant for Edgar.

The inspector interrogates Mavis and her maid, Lottie Molloy (Rosemary Bird), who's a bit old to be so flirty. We learn that Mavis married Edgar solely for his thousands of pounds.

To add to the zaniness, Susan Hollister (Marilyn Zaslow) shows up, Edgar's only child by his first wife. Susan's the dimmest bulb in the chandelier, yet she carries on with a constant smile. She's sad, though, that daddy isn't around for her wedding to Barry Draper (Shea Taylor), a Yank she met on the ship coming back from America. Barry's a good ol' Southern boy who's madly in love with a girl he barely knows.

Mavis is distressed to learn that, upon Edgar's death, the bulk of his estate will go to Susan. But if the girl suddenly dies . . .

With the characters introduced, the play stumbles head-on into a crazy quilt of clues, the most incredible and improbable of plot twists, scene-ending cliff hangers, new revelations (is Edgar really dead?), jokes and nonsense. It's typical British zany humor, with plenty of puns, word play, misunderstandings and silliness.

The actors were up to the task with their rapid-fire exchanges, and they play their characters completely seriously.

The British accents were sustained during most of the show. I can't single out any one actor because, by jove, all of them did a bang up, tip-top job, what?

The set design left the tiny stage with less space than usual, but the actors maneuvered well in the limited space. Wynn Rowell directed the show.

Patrick Thomas and Dokota Thomas-Nye are credited with "special effects," the trick furniture. Edgar had installed secret drawers, panels and doors- a mystery staple- into the house. (The play's title refers to a hidden compartment.) Two secret panels open several times, efficiently and always on cue.

The play ends with a cliche, the lightsgooutandafightbreaksout. This is delightfully staged, with the house in darkness, the actors making the appropriate noises and the lights going up on the characters posed in humorous positions.

Another mystery standby is the "everyone gathers in the drawing room as the detective unmasks the killer." Well, everyone is gathered, but in attempting to tie together the plot threads, the story becomes even more unraveled and ludicrous. I'm still attempting to sort it all out, but, never mind, it's jolly good fun, frightfully amusing, and the characters- most of them- live happily ever after.

The three-act play runs two hours 45 minutes. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays to July 21, with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday, June 24. The theater is at 28311 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills. For reservations, call (818) 8895209.