Monica Hunt.
Theatre 110.
Critique.
Who let the murderer out? Who? Who? Who?
No. It wasn't Colonel Custard with a candlestick in the library. This isn't Clue we're talking about! The ICC Performing Arts center put on the play "A Party To Murder" right smack near Halloween. This production is about a group of six characters playing a murder mystery game, on an isolated island, until the game becomes real! "A Party to Murder" 's plot takes you on a scary adventure full of fear, betrayal, and a classic twist of a "who done it" story.
As the theatre is filled with people, the audience seems fascinated by the set. The set was absolutely fantastic and filled with realistic props. The students should take pride in their work in the scenery they created! The scenery really set up how stormy, spooky, and isolated the house was! Stuffed heads of hunted game hung on the walls and a nice trapdoor really added an unexpected pizazz! The fireplace seemed to even be really lit and when someone would open a door leaves would blow in! That doesn't seem amazing, but it's those little great details that really help an audience member really feel as if the production is real!
The set was divine, but so was some of the acting! For college theatre it was very impressive... for the most part! The six actors were Jacob Uhlman as Charles (The host.), Katie Richard as the ditzy McKenzie, Sam Curry as ex-football player Willy, Jeremiah Peterson as Elwood (Winner of the game), and two sisters Henri and Valerie performed by Bethany Shuford and Hannah Mont. The actor that stood out the most and brought much needed comic relief was Sam Curry's performance of Willy. Willy is an ex-football player who is in a wheelchair from a car accident. Curry brought out a dry, harsh sense of humor and almost always inappropriate, but hysterical! Curry's character really made this production worth watching. Everytime Curry said a line, it brought the audience into laughter. Curry has great comedic timing! Jacob Uhlman's portrayal of Charles was very believable as well! Uhlman really pulled off the character and was believable as Charles. Although, Uhlman kept slipping in and out of an English accent he really was great playing a sophisticated, almost annoyingly superior in intelligence character. The casting did a great job selecting Uhlman too. His body shape and length really was convincing for the role of an author. Uhlman really looked the part. The actress that stood out had to be Katie Richard's performance of McKenzie! Richard was brilliant and very convincing as a promiscuous ditzy model. Richard's character was hilarious and her one-liners were brilliantly performed. What was really great about Richard was that even when she wasn't talking her silent actions and facial expressions had the audience laughing! Example: When McKenzie chugged the liquor before the characters said cheers. Out of all the performers Curry, Uhlman, and Richard really made the show a pleasant experience!
As well as Curry, Uhlman, and Richard did, the other casted actor and actresses were not as impressive. Although, they did do well in some parts. Their acting almost seemed to forced and unbelievable. Take Bethany Shuford's portrayal of Henri for example. Shuford often seemed to frantic and obnoxious to be realistic. Shuford's constant screaming got almost unbearable towards the end of the first act. Every time lightning would go off her scream would cause headaches. Not only that she spoke much to quickly in some scenes and was hard to understand. And during the climax of the play her portrayal of a crazy, lunatic, murderer seemed so unrealistic and too soap opera for theatre. Instead of playing a convincing killer, it caused laughter in parts of the audience. Jeremiah Peterson as Elwood was alright, but his role is almost forgotten instead of memorable. Yes, it's hard to be memorable when Peterson is the first to die, but before that he had lines and his delivery just seemed really unrealistic and staged. When he first pulls the gun on the other five characters it just seems like Peterson's acting is corny. Although, he does play a good dead man! Just kidding. All in all, Peterson's role isn't really memorable. Last, but not least, Hannah Mont's portrayal of Valerie. Mont started off well, until her character had more dialogue. Mont was constantly doing weird hand gestures and played with her hair way too much to focus on what her character is saying. Not to forget the climax scene her acting is alright until she dies. Mont's death in the play was so terrible. She definitely took the overly dramatic approach. Which including, intense screaming, quivering, and excessive gasps and jumps for air. It was embarrassing to watch. Her portrayal wasn't too bad, just needed toning down. Although these actors were not up to par with the others they still made the experience enjoyable.
The storyline was really great. The only problem was it jumped to quickly from comedy to drama and no in between. It was really hard to stay focused that it was a murder mystery instead of a funny murder story. The plot felt like it was trying to be like "Clue". Another issue was the length. It almost felt too dragged on and was hard to follow after a while. The second act felt a little too long and could have had more excitement with dialogue and use of characters. The first act was really great though! The plot had the audience interested and kept them guessing who was the killer and who was innocent! The first act was full of appropriate comic timing and suspenseful questioning. All in all it was a pretty nice storyline and kept you guessing throughout the production.
This production had a lot of great special effects! Such as, the fireplace blowing to even before the play where the windows had shadows. The lighting and props really helped set the scene. Take for example, when the gun is shot it hits a bottle breaking it, the bottle actually breaks on cue and is really realistic! Another great prop was the gun. The gun worked really well that night and shot loudly and clearly each time! It was so realistic and not fake sounding at all! The music before the play and between acts really set the mood as well. The music was a haunting selection that made everyone stop in their seats and stay focused to the production.
For a small town theater production, it really was enjoyable! With such an elegant set, good casting, and amazing props this production was a must see and a great start for a Halloween feeling. ICC really did a great job and the next plays hopefully are just as enjoyable!
