The Christmas Case—Battleground Productions—SE Portland

             Whodunit?!
    This original, Christie-est script is written and directed by the author, John Longenbaugh.  It is playing at the Chapel Theatre, 4107 SE Harrison St., in Milwaukee, through December 21^st.  For more information, go to their site at www.battlegroundproductions.org

    This follows very much in the Agatha Christie vein of British mysteries…the snow-bound suspects, a theft of an expensive item, the long, complex reveal at the end of the crime and a visit by a mysterious stranger.  It’s a classic setting and the author is obviously a fan of this genre (as am I).

    The Brits and the BBC are probably the crown jewels in this genre, in my opinion.  Both Doyle (with his Holmes & Watson) and Christie (with her Poirot and Marple), all try to manipulate a tale in such a manner that the reader/viewer will be unable to discover the culprit(s) by the end.  But “in the meantime…in between times…ain’t we got fun.”  And that is just the ticket for a cozy ride on a crisp winter’s night, as it is here!

    It seems that the upper crust of the Ashford family is sorely lacking in bread and are in need of some fresh blood to revitalize the family’s coffers.  Lady Constance (Rebecca Morse), at her wits ends, is down on her luck, so it might be up to her daughter, the wiley, Cynthia (Caralynn Shields), to come to the rescue by marrying the aristocratic, Wayne Coverley (Riley Parham), who is coming to visit with his well-to-do but not-too-bright classmate, Percy Wentworth (Hunter O’Harrow).

    Also visiting, on this snowy winter’s eve, is the other side of the family, Lady Madelyn Brass (Allison Anderson), her clever sister, and her daughter, the astute, Gwendolyn (Katherine Grant-Suttie).  Only problem being is that they are both in disguise as Germans, as they had been presumed dead from a bombing incident and are afraid they are being stalked by spies out to finish the job.

    And, added to this motley crew, are the ever-faithful butler, Tomkins (Rick Warren)—there always seems to be a butler in these cases.  And the mysterious stranger, the understanding, Father Christmas (Andy Mangels), who may have other conjuring tricks up his sleeve.  And the crime—the theft of a jewel!  And who is the perpetrator, “ah, there’s the rub.”  See if you can discover the secrets, which are held by all, before the last reveal is discovered…!

    This is a delightful romp on a winter’s eve and it’s clear the cast is having a jolly good time of taxing one’s “little gray cells” into action.  The cast is quite a treat, with Anderson and Grant-Suttie as the Poirot/Holmes team of investigators, quite inspiring in their multi-faceted roles of aristocratic Brit family, beleaguered “Germans” and detectives.  The college buds, Parham and O’Harrow, are charming as inept, pseudo-suiters—I especially liked O’Harrow’s quirky movements, awkward pauses and totally, mindless remarks—bravo. 

    Morse and Shields, as the more conniving side of the failing family fortunes, were fun to observe.  Warren as the trusted servant, who has more on his mind than servitude, is good.  And Mangels is very well-suited to his role as a man who may hold the biggest secret of all.  All actors are very well cast in their roles.  And the set (Tyler Buswell—a very well-respected designer for his work, also, with Bag & Baggage Productions) and costumes (Christine Richardson), are a real asset to the authenticity of the production.

    It is obvious that Longenbaugh is familiar with the Brit mystery genre, as all the typical elements are here.  But with complicated plots, such as this, it is important to keep a clear through-line in the story, that all the scenes are relevant in some way to the overall concept.  The scene with Father Christmas and Lady Madelyn is fascinating and well-acted as written, and may be a good subject for a play in itself, but the dialogue has almot nothing to do with the basic plot.  Outside of that, this is a pleasant evening’s diversion and is certainly worth one’s time to see a wonderful, fun homage to a very popular style of literature.

    I recommend this play.  If you do choose to see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.

--DJS