Dead Guilty
Established in 1929, the Long Beach Playhouse is the longest
continuously operated community theater west of the Mississippi.
After its move to the present location, LBP constructed the
upstairs Studio Theatre where Equity programs can be produced.
Season subscribers to both stages have long shown a preference
for murder mysteries, detective stories and thrillers; so it's no
surprise to find "Dead Guilty," by playwright Richard Harris, in
the Studio Theatre.
On opening night, one of the producers said he saw an exciting
production of this unusual British work in London 16 years ago. He
was so impressed with its spin on the murder mystery genre, he's
been trying to get rights to produce it ever since.
Determination and perseverance won out, and "Dead Guilty" is
finally on stage in Long Beach; but something is out of sync. It's
not the fault of the actors, since the cast portrays their
characters very well; nor is anything wrong with David Scaglione's
set, Daniel Driskol's lighting, Julie Moore's gorgeous sound or
other production values.
After mulling it over for hours, it seems that the play's
structure itself is the culprit--and perhaps the sincere efforts
of director Martha Duncan, who worked so hard to put it across it
seems over-labored.
Harris' plot revolves around an accident that happened before
the play opens. An older man named John was having a clandestine
affair with Julia, the pretty young woman who worked for him. They
were driving to a romantic tryst when John suffered a fatal heart
attack. Julia survived the crash, but her legs were so badly
injured she must go through a series of excruciating surgeries.
"Dead Guilty" begins with a trial that absolves her of murder,
but the guilt she feels is overwhelming. So is her physical pain.
Sarah Green's portrayal of this bright, self-assertive, and
fiercely independent character is excellent and right on target.
Since Julia lives alone and is incapacitated, she hires a
neighborhood guy named Gary to help her around the house and to
care for her garden. Chris Aron is totally convincing as this
eager, not-too-bright younger man who falls for his invalid
employer.
Julie tries to accept what happened and move on, but her
injuries, compounded by her inner guilt, take a heavy toll. A
compassionate therapist (Carmen Tunis) attempts to break through to
her feelings, but Julia's protective armor is too strong.
Undercurrents start to ripple when John's widow arrives to
share their grief and lend a hand. Geraldine Fuentes' portrayal
is so sweet, so innocent, so devoted and so generous--could she
really be clueless about her husband's affair with Julia?
And so the "pas de deux" begins. All the ingredients are in
place for a thrilling build-up, followed by a revelatory denouement
and an exciting climax. Unfortunately that doesn't happen.
"Dead Guilty" is presented as a series of so many quick,
chopped up scenes that it loses momentum. The tension is defused
and the suspense dissipates. Of course we can't tell you what
happens, but the would-be thriller never reaches its potential.
On the positive side, viewers can enjoy this production for
its successful elements: a fine cast, lovely set, good light
design, and a gorgeous selection of music during each scene
interruption --if only there weren't so many of them.
The Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5201 E.Anaheim St., Long
Beach. Performances continue Friday-Saturday, 8:00 pm; Sunday,
2:00 pm through November 7. For tickets call (562) 494-1014 or
visit http://lbph.com.