by K. Primeau~

I find it difficult to critique a play in which a technical malfunction knowingly disrupted the performance. In the case of Knightsbridge Theatre and The National American Shakespeare Company’s presentation of The Mystery Plays, that malfunction included a busted light board, resulting in last minute lighting cues thrown together in twenty minutes prior to belated house opening. While I hardly feel that lighting makes a show, in the case of a Twilight Zone-inspired mystery and suspense “thriller,” the haphazard cues did little to support the theatrical conceit. The combination of a fog machine, isolated pools of light, shadows, and slow fades can all contribute to the eeriness and building tension in a piece, and, as I discovered, the absence of such leads to the sensation that something important is amiss.

The Mystery Plays, winner of the 2002 Kennedy Center’s Roger L. Stevens New Play Award, is comprised of two one-acts, “The Filmmaker’s Mystery” and “Ghost Children.” Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s script follows best friends Joe and Abby as they confront their personal moral mysteries. Joe, a filmmaker from New York, survives a train wreck only to be haunted by a fellow passenger with a shady past. Abby, a lawyer still reeling from the murder of her parents and little sister fifteen years ago, returns to Oregon to confront her conscience once and for all. Both characters struggle with their fate and moving towards forgiveness, exploring Christian themes of redemption and afterlife, while their plots remain unrelated. “Filmmaker” is a sci-fi murder mystery tour complete with a ghost train; “Children” is a psychological trip through an abusive family’s murder case.

The real mystery lies in just how Aguirre-Sacasa’s work became so lauded. Perhaps in 2002 the ideas were fresh, but in-jokes between Joe and his literary agent, comic book references, and the dissection of child-kills-abusive-parents legal case felt stale in 2010. Dialog between characters was often lacking in nuance, and the redundantly narrative nature of exposition (“I sat on the train,” says Joe as he sits on the train) is perhaps better suited for a radio play or short story. Certainly, director Scott Dittman is responsible, too, for the translation of action, but even allusions to H.P. Lovecraft’s horror and cynicism felt superficial, painted on after the fact. The only sincerely interesting images in the whole included the science of sin-eating, the sensation of star thistles under your feet, and finding “God” in the synapses between places and time.

Again, to comment on the overall production in lieu of the absentee light plot is rather unfair, but certain choices might not have worked anyway. Christopher Biewer’s stilted narration as Joe Manning, for example, would’ve greatly benefitted from a vocal warm up and following the lead of Kate McCoy. McCoy, even when waxing poetical on wallpaper and carpet stains as Abby Gilley, kept everything fresh and vivid, motivated more by her character’s curiosity than an ungrounded quirkiness. Marti Hale switched between caring mother and heartless agent with aplomb, providing the majority of the comedy and precision of the evening. In contrast, the costume and set design were sloppy and sparse, with Abby’s bright blue jacket distracting from her Manolo Blahnik lawyer status and half of the action set in fully realized worlds, the other half-heartedly mimed. The production paired with Dittman’s direction left the piece feeling more like a dress rehearsal than a polished product, a real upset compared to the strength of the majority of the ensemble’s performances.

The theatre’s administrative staff handled the technological blip with humor, offering the audience breath mints and after-show snacks in exchange for our patience, while the drunken audience members in front of me handled their business with slightly less charm. In the end, to reference the plot from “Filmmaker’s Mystery,” I was one passenger happy to leave this train wreck intact.

The Mystery Plays are performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through April 11, 2010.

Ticket prices: $20.00 for adults, $1.00 for students and seniors over 65 (ID required)

The Nkightsbridge Theatre is located at 1944 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles, CA  90039 near the 2 and 5 freeways.

Reservations online at www.knightsbridgetheatre.com or by phone at (323) 667-0955.