Lord Rancor is hosting an autumn weekend for a number of guests at his country estate. Not a single one realizes that others will be in attendance. The servants are busy preparing for their arrival. The maid, butler and handyman are dreading another visit from privileged, rude, narcissistic guests. The visitors themselves (retired military, ingenue, French matron, university sculler, bossy busybody, professor et al) make for a strange and varied convocation, They will eventually discover hidden connections to each other. The host, Lord Rancor, is only the first in a succession of bodies piling up. Luckily for us, each death is achieved differently (electrocution, poison, stabbing, gunshot..) keeping things lively and intriguing.
Written by James McDonald, David Vos, Robert Gerlach, and Ed Linderman: Something’s Afoot is a shameless spoof of one of Agatha Christie’s most popular premises. (And Then There Were None, say or Death on the Nile) A group with seemingly nothing in common, is trapped in one location, invited by a sketchy host. Despite their vigilant efforts to reveal the culprit, they’re basically waiting for their turn to die. Gradually we realize each is being punished for an egregious act.
I hasten to add here, that it’s painful to consider how Christie’s brilliance has been lost, somewhat, by other mystery “authors” who simply hijack her plots, with none of her strategy and intelligence. She’s been eclipsed by charlatans. Which is not to say that McDonald, Vos, Gerlach and Linderman have been disrespectful or flippant in their dizzy celebration of Agatha Christie’s genius. Something’s Afoot is a clever, facetious, tongue-in-cheek musical that ponders the elements that have now (sadly) become tropes. T
Allen Contemporary Theatre’s production of Something’s Afoot, is precise, kinetic, bubbly with well-executed dance numbers and spontaneous gags. The four writers consider the utterly absurd, inexplicably nonsensical, the laughably arrogant. Carol Rice’s direction brings out the delightfully preposterous in each of these players, where no line is too silly, no pratfall too painful, no scenery unchewed.
Like the best musical comedy, we sense the excitement and pleasure of the performers, as they share their glee. Sophisticated humor is fine, but this bunch has mastered the art of tomfoolery. They’re relaxed, effusive, spot on. You can’t fake funny. It either works or it doesn’t. It will tickle you or it wont. Kudos to ACT for this bouncy, charming excursion into the realm of sheer whimsy.
Allen Contemporary Theatre presents Something’s Afoot, playing May 5th-21st, 2023. 1210 E Main Street, #300, Allen, TX (844) 822-8849. allencontemporarytheatre.net