A Utah Theater Review By Jennifer Mustoe and Corena Gunyan
My teenage companion Corena and I had the pleasure of going to see An Unexpected Guest, a delightful Agatha Christie mystery, at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. I will say, it was a little disconcerting at first as there was a Thriller concert on the big stage (the play was in the wonderful Brinton Black Box at the Covey) and as we walked into the theater, we were greeted by numerous well made up, bloody, shambling zombies. I admit, I hugged one and touched another on the nose and said, “Boop.” When faced with a zombie, these are my suggested responses. The zombies were part of the Thriller concert, which caused some problems for the play later. The concert, not the zombies. More on this in a bit.
The Black Box theater has seating on three sides and is general seating. There really isn’t a bad seat, but I’d suggest sitting in the middle spot if possible. You’ll see more.
The set design by Daniel James is fabulous. The dead guy (this is a murder mystery so the play basically begins with the murder) was a big game hunter and there are photos of him with all kinds of big animals and trophies all over. (Trophies meaning mounted animal heads.) I wasn’t totally in love with where the furniture was situated. Center upstage was a big desk and chair. Center downstage was a couch that had its back to the center audience members. Two chairs flanked the couch and while they were set at an angle, they still were closed to some audience members’ line of vision no matter where you sat. I thought it would be better if the desk were smaller and in a corner. It’s hardly ever used. Also, the Thriller concert blasted through the wall of the theater a few times and this isn’t the first time that’s happened when I have gone to that theater.
Those are the only negatives for this play, so I got them out of the way early on.
My companion and I loved this play! Her comment was that she never saw any of the actors break character, and she was right. But that wasn’t the only thing this fine troupe of actors did. The cast is as follows:Eric Ramaekers plays the dead guy (Richard Warwick) and also the handsome guy (Julian Farrar) – and does them both well, especially the latter part! Ramaekers is a focused actor and I especially loved how he began to stutter a little as his character was put on the spot.
Lovely Laura Warwick was played by the lovely Mallory Gee, whose accent was spot on, her graceful movement perfect, and her rising anxiety as the play progresses effective and evocative. I loved every minute she was onstage.
Micheal Starwedder was played by Adam M. Argyle. He’s a tricky one, and played the Unexpected Guest so well! He seemed almost bigger than life and so completely believable with his character development and movement choices. Really fun to watch.
Miss Bennet, the nurse, played by Heidi Lynn Cochran, was a lesser role but Cochran does a great job, especially in her final scene. She becomes very upset and finally in tears and I was very moved by her performance.
Jan (pronounced Yawn) Warwick, played by Tanner Frost, was brilliant. Both my companion and I loved him. His energy, his vulnerability, and his giving nature onstage radiated. He is a young actor who will go places.
Thus men buy viagra cialis cheap from online drug store to purchase vitamin supplements, you will be surprised when they will know that there are lots of herbal and Pharmaceutical medications, drugs including Ayurvedic medication, Herbal supplements & Cosmetic products. Mike Morkin, the emergency services director purchase levitra at Renown. brand viagra from canada check here However, some people still find it difficult to find the bacteria in the urine. An ordinary fallacy is that sex viagra buy cheap is a state of mind.
Laura Wardle’s Mrs. Warwick was excellent. She played an older woman so well, and I loved her accent – so stately. She sparkled in each scene she was in.
Henry Angell, played by Casey William Walker, was perfect at being a slimeball. Sorry Mr. Walker if that’s not what you were trying for and you’re welcome if you were. But oooh, he kind of creeped me out in the most delightful way. I didn’t know if he killed Richard Warwick, but I wanted him involved somehow. (And no, I won’t tell you ANY of the plot. This is a play you need to see from start to finish with no spoilers at all.)
Stephen Geis, using a delightful Welsh accent, played Sgt Cadwaller, and Julie Hauwiller played Inspector Thomas. These lucky actors got most of the few laughs in the show and did a great job with the many serious scenes they had, too. Originally, Agatha Christie had the inspector played by a man. Thank you to director Barta Lee Heiner for making a more up to date choice.
Heiner did a fantastic job of hand picking such a talented group of performers. But she also formed this group into a completely believable group of people from the British Isles. The cast worked well together and the relationships between them all were tangibly perfect.
Costumes by Pam Davis (who also did the audio design) were great. Understated but believable.
I don’t usually gush about plays. I’ve seen a lot of them and been in a lot of them through the years. But this is a show that if you like good plays, like mysteries, like Agatha Christie’s characteristic twists, or you would like to just enjoy yourselves, you really should go see An Unexpected Guest at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. You’ll thank me. So — you’re welcome. Also, I would recommend this show for kids except the really young. There is a black out at the beginning, but other than that, it’s a quick play and would suit children, tweens and teens who like theater.
An Unexpected Guest
Covey Center for the Arts,
425 W. Center St., Provo, UT 84601 801.852.7007
October 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26, 2013 7:30 PM.; $12 – $14Brinton Theater
0 Comments