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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Alibis
Set in the 1940s at a mansion in the English countryside, the plot focuses on a group of individuals who have come to the house of Primavera Donna for a dinner party. When Prima is discovered dead in her bedroom, and as a storm rages outside, a series of additional murders take place, and the guests and the audience attempt to figure out whodunit. While Kennedy's play isn't the greatest, it's easy to follow with comical characters and a few fun twists and turns. Kennedy manages to find fairly realistic motives for each suspect to have killed Prima, and as the body count mounts and clues are revealed, the ending is quite satisfying. The names of the characters and how they refer to each specific character's traits are also quite fun. However, there are a few oddities in the piece, including when (spoiler alert) the butler is shot dead early in the first act and instead of falling down once he's been shot, he stops and looks around as if he realizes he's supposed to fall down in another place, or when Monique the maid first enters and is questioned about where she's been, and she comments on how in her script she entered at the appropriate time. While those moments are interesting in how they are fun spoofs of the murder mystery genre, Kennedy only includes a few, so they stick out in a weird way. Fortunately, under Amber Ryan's crisp direction, the cast all have fun with their characters. Zachary MacIntyre is quite polished as Mr. E.S. Solvedd, who decides to appoint himself the investigator of Prima's murder. Anora Biggs is a hoot as the kooky Dr. Jacqueline Hyde, and Paris Rayne is wonderful as Sister Bella Donna, Prima's sister who has taken a vow of silence. Maddie O'Brien delivers a dedicated performance as the overbearing socialite Hope Leslie Trite and Aiden Davidson creates a confident portrayal of the playboy Sandy Lynxe. Tanner Osborne is enthusiastic as the obnoxious and phony Sir Tanley A. Fraude, and Kate Donick is saucy as Monique, the maid. Jerry Wigly and Samantha Poarch round out the cast in supporting roles. Ryan's set design is simple but effective. The sound effects, lighting and costumes add fun touches to the comical intrigue of the script. At 75 minutes, Alibis doesn't overstay its welcome, which is a good thing. While I have some quibbles with the script, the Actors PLAYground cast create fun portrayals of these familiar murder mystery characters and the sharp direction delivers several laugh out loud moments. Alibis runs through January 12, 2025, at Actors PLAYground, 11340 West Bell Road, Suite 105, Surprise AZ. For tickets and information, please visit www.actorsplayaz.com. Director/Scenic Designer: Amber Ryan Cast: (in order of appearance) |
