ARTS . Theater Review

Elder Hostile

Murderers


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Published: Oct 18, 2006

Welcome to Riddle Key, a Florida retirement community for elderly rich people. Oh, it may look like it's all mai tais and golf — but behind these tacky gates, you'll find more grievance-collecting than a whole season with Jerry Seinfeld's parents. And sometimes, the griping turns deadly. (You'd think it almost redundant to murder the development's denizens, most of whom are around 90, but comeuppance is comeuppance.)

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH: Kristine Nielsen's Minka Lupino is a miracle of comic invention.

In Jeffrey Hatcher's funny but lightweight Murderers, we learn (as the cleverly named Riddle Key suggests) both the problems and the solutions. Meet Gerald Halverston, a middle-aged lounge lizard. Problem? Taxes threaten to reduce his inheritance to a meager $1 million. Solution? I bet you know. Then there's sweet old Lucy Stickler, whose piggish husband has a roving eye. Solution? Go on, guess. How about Minka Lupino, a high-strung Riddle Keys administrator who's had it up to here with misbehaving tenants and whining families. Solution? You got it.

Gerald, Lucy and Minka tell us their stories in a sequence of monologues. It's an unfavorite format of mine — way too easy, and usually more like storytelling than actual theater. But I'll give Hatcher that (like his characters) he's crafty and clever. He has a knack for a funny line (Larry describing an elegantly beige woman: "She looks like Diana Vreeland's idea of Doctor No") and a gift for twists and surprises. The day I saw it, the matinee audience laughed long and loud.

That said, Murderers clocks in at over two hours and would benefit from judicious cutting. More than that, it's really a two-out-of-three success: The first monologue (Gerald's) takes too much time to ignite, and doesn't give actor Brent Langdon much to work with.

But the rest of the material is better, and showcases two marvelous performances. Marylouise Burke (Lucy) is irresistible, even when her command of the lines seems shaky. And Kristine Nielsen's Minka is a miracle of comic invention — Nielsen's vocal and facial expressions are worth the price of admission all on their own. (It's a strange thing, but sometimes less-than-first-rate material provides actors with their best opportunities.)

Those who come to Murderers seeking the Jeffrey Hatcher who wrote Compleat Female Stage Beauty or A Picasso — fully fleshed-out plays with significant issues — may be disappointed. But what the hell? Not everything can be a main course. Even in the theater, there's room for dessert, and at least part of the time, Murderers is tasty.

(d_fox@citypaper.net)

Murderers

Philadelphia Theatre Company at Plays & Players Theater, Through Nov. 5, 1714 Delancey St., 215-985-0420, www.phillytheatreco.com