October 28-November 3, 2004

theater

Thriller (for the Quaint of Heart)

by David Anthony Fox

It all begins with a disappearing picture. You see, Bella Manningham, the pretty, nervous lady of the house, is certain she didn't move it. Her husband, Jack, is sure she did. Moreover, he thinks she's hoarding other household items—rings, keys, handkerchiefs—though she never remembers doing so.

Is poor Mrs. Manningham slowly losing her mind, as her mother did when she was around the same age?

Or?

Patrick Hamilton's period piece (originally called Angel Street, but now uniformly known as Gaslight) is the quintessential drawing-room thriller. In some ways, the vintage story wears its years lightly. On the other hand, given what husbands now seem to do routinely to their wives, the play (set in 1880) looks positively well, Victorian. Nor are contemporary audiences, weaned on Quentin Tarantino and James Ellroy, likely to be frightened by Hamilton's fruity dialogue. (Mr. Manningham to the maid: "You're looking very impudent and pretty, Nancy. I wonder what mysterious lotions you've been employing to enhance your natural beauties.")

Perhaps the quaintness of Gaslight, along with the almost universal knowledge of its plot, led director Janet Kelsey to conclude that there's simply no way that Gaslight can scare us. Instead, she opts for a take on the play that affectionately teases it into whimsical comedy. The script is cut to bare bones and condensed from three acts to two. The terrifying Mr. Manningham is softened into a pompous little bureaucrat, and Police Inspector Rough is played for maximum humor. There's never any question of what's going to happen—merely of how quickly it will unravel.

Within these parameters, there's quite a bit to enjoy at Hedgerow. Kate Hurster is a vulnerable and touchingly young Bella. M.K. Woolbert makes a saucy minx of Nancy (though her Cockney accent wanders across several continents). Zoran Kovcic makes Rough the central character, imbued with both British properness and a subversive twinkle in his eye. (Kovcic would be even better playing similar roles in the black comedies of Joe Orton.)

Kovcic also provided the set design, which makes excellent use of Hedgerow's stone walls. In fact, the best part of this entertaining evening is the charm of seeing Gaslight in a tiny old theater on a beautiful—but pitch-dark—country lane. It's the perfect marriage of show and venue—a union much more harmonious than the Manninghams'.

GASLIGHT Through Nov. 14, Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Rd., Media, 610-565-4211