Alexandria stages a 'murder' or two

From left: Erin Gallalee is Martha, James Lorenzin is David, and Kathy Ohlhaber is Celia in Design for Murder at Little Theatre of Alexandria/Brian Knapp Photography 

Go ahead!  Pick out the killer. If you get it right, set up your own detective agency.

As for me:  I was a bit off-key.

At the Little Theatre of Alexandria, there are so many murders and so little time, it's an unusual production, Design for Murder, from the happy-go-lucky shows LTA usually throws, but well worth your time and money.

We need some edge every so often, right?  This one will keep you guessing. 

Who dunnit?  (Or, them?) Let’s play "Clue" in this play by George Batson (c. 1916-1971).

Wait a minute!  Isn't David (James Lorenzin) engaged to someone else besides Kathy (Elizabeth Loyal)?  They're in Design for Murder at Little Theatre of Alexandria/Brian Knapp Photography

The show has fantastic costumes as always (by Judy Whelihan), and an elegant, sophisticated set (by Julie Fischer), the home of a wealthy Hudson River Valley family who have paintings on the walls to match their residence. (Shelby Baker, property designer.)

The rich are different from you and me and they were different back in the 1930s of this Design when manners mattered.  Besides, it's always fun to peer in and grasp a bit of the haute affluent.

The stars are Celia Granger (Kathy Ohlhaber) and her son, David (James Lorenzin), their mansion suddenly swamped with murders in the first degree, following David's engagement party.

He does love his fiancée, doesn't he? Then, what's he doing making moves on the housemaid? 

And another housemaid?  This is love?  Ahem.

Lorenzin's performance strengthens from scene to scene as he gains more self confidence in dialogue with his overbearing mother whose superb acting commands the spotlight.

Two older ladies, Martha (Erin Gallalee) and family friend Louisa (Janice Zucker) both always dressed to the nines, provide infrequent and much desired comic relief to match those of Mrs. Hamilton (Patricia Spencer Smith), the family cook, of nearly the same age who teeters, totters, and bends with the best of them in short step shuffles.  

The arrogant chauffeur, Moreno (Denny Martinez-Barrera) seems to have a hold on most of them and you wonder what his story is. Where did he get that attitude? For a chauffeur?

Blackmail, anyone?  Too obvious, right?

I couldn't help but wonder if it were his character or Director Jessie Roberts just letting him go and show off his sauntering self.  Whatever, Moreno is a saucy servant, a mystery, and a likely perpetrator, but what are the goods?

Jon Roberts is the sound man and projectionist, busy during the show with vehicles hitting the gravel driveway. (A gravel driveway for a mansion?  It happens.) 

All the characters are suspect, and all the world's a stage! 

Go for it.

Also in the cast: Elizabeth Loyal,  Brendan Chaney, Pete Leggett, and Frank Cooper

Other crew members:  Hilary Adams, assistant producer; Kirstin Apker and Deborah Remmers, set decoration;  Brittany Huffman, stage manager; Jim Hutzler and Jeff Nesmeyer, master carpenters;  Stefan Sittig, fight choreography.

And, Cleo Potter and Jay Stein, lighting and (Stein) master electrician; Lanae Sterrett, hair and makeup; Carol Strachan, producer; Robin Worthington, wardrobe; Russell M. Wyland, rigging; Dierdre (De) Nicholson-Lamb, set painting.  

When: Now through Nov. 5, 2022, Wednesday - Saturday nights, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.

Where:  Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA 22314

Tickets:  $21, weekdays; $24, weekends

Covid policy:  LTA has returned to full seating and no proof of vaccinations are necessary, however, masks are required in the theatre.  No exceptions. 

Language:  All "G" rated.

Duration:  Two hours with one 15 minute intermission

Public transportation: Check the Metro and Dash bus websites. Dash is free to ride and has routes which are close to LTA.

Parking: On the streets and in many garages nearby with free parking during performances at Capital One Bank at Wilkes and Washington streets.

For more information:  Call the Box office, ph. 703-683-0496, the main office, 703-683-5778, or email:boxoffice@thelittletheatre.com

patricialesli@gmail.com

Pulitzer finalist 'Other Desert Cities' on stage in Vienna

Susan d. Garvey (on left), Kathy Ohlhaber, and Patrick David star in Other Desert Cities at Vienna Theatre Company/Photo by Matthew Randall

That Other Desert Cities was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012 and won five Tony nominations is not surprising.  It's a critic's play.

Which demonstrates in living color that things are not what they seem, folks, even though you may think you know-it-all.

Sometimes a minor character can steal a show. 

Like Jessie Roberts who is Silda, the mother's half-crazed, alcoholic sister, with a personality amplified by her flyaway hair, apparel, and funny lines which bring much needed humor and balance to the somber tone and message heard all night.

What darkness lurks beyond? 

Other Desert Cities is a family affair with father (Patrick David) and mother (Susan d. Garvey) pitted (or so she thinks) against grown daughter, Brooke (Kathy Ohlhaber) whose brother Trip (Jeff McDermott) is along for the ride, to tell his sister just how self righteous she really is.

Their older brother, Henry, is dead, and the negative aftermath of his passing are borne by the survivors who blame each other.  They lash out with mean and heartless words, similar to what audience members may think about saying to their own family members from time to time (well, maybe, not quite so extreme), but refrain from uttering to preserve family peace, or what remains of it.  (That would not happen here, of course, since there would be no show!)

It's Christmastime at Polly and Lyman's, the parents, which adds even more stress to conditions, especially with the holiday arrival of their "me-me-me-me-me, it's all about me!" daughter. 

Would you be surprised to learn it doesn't take long for conflict to erupt? And that Polly and Lyman share conservative leanings which happen to be the opposite of Brooke's?  It's 2004 and the Iraq War is raging.  But, not too much is said about it.

From beginning to end, it's all about Brooke, and how she feels and is affected by the family's tragedy. Never mind offending anyone else.  Never mind considering that she's not the only one. What does that matter as long as her new book gets published that lays out the horrors of her brother's death and how her family deals with it?  "I'm as sorry I'm a writer as you are," she says.  Amen, sister.  She got no sympathy from me.

On this Christmas trip home, you'll observe no pauses, inactivity, or boredom. Just heartbreak and enlightenment about those you love.

The outstanding set (by Skip Gresko) is what's to be expected of wealthy landowners living in Palm Springs, California.  In their large Western-style house, the living room has a curving beige stone wall with fireplace (into which is tossed a marijuana cigarette that Silda covets) and big windows which look out on a splashy, orangy sunset which changes with the time of day, I suppose, but being hooked on the dialogue, I didn't notice.  (What does that say about the script?)

That the Washington, D.C. area is blessed with great actors is well known, and, under the direction of Rosemary Hartman, the Desert quintet is more proof.  Especially the performances by Ohlhaber, David, and Roberts who seem so natural in their roles, it's hard to imagine them off stage as anyone but Brooke, Lyman, and Silda. 

Vienna audiences always turn out for good shows. I've never attended a production here which did not appear to be a sellout.

With contemporary street talk, Other Desert Cities is not a production recommended for children. 

This will be the last of Vienna Theatre Company's productions for a while at the Community Center since the center's renovation will soon begin, but the theatre troupe will find other places to stage.  You can't keep a good company down. 

Other key Desert Cities crew members are:  Richard Durkin, producer; Gerald Kadonoff, assistant producer; Mary Ann Hall, stage manager; Tigan Hughes, assistant stage manager; Chris Hardy, lighting designer; Benjamin Allen, sound designer and composer; Susan Boyd, costume, hair, and makeup designer; Jocelyn Steiner and Mary Frances Dini, set dressers and props.

What:  Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz

When:  8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays on April 24 and 25 and May 1 and 2, with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees, April 26 and May 3.

Where: Vienna Theatre Company,120 Cherry Street, Vienna, VA 22180 (Vienna Community Center)

Tickets:  May be purchased online (vtcshows@yahoo.com) or at the box office.

Admission:  $14

Parking: Lots of free parking on-site

For more information: 703-255-6360 or visit the website

To read other local reviews of shows still on the stage, click Other Reviews on DCMetroTheaterArts.

patricialesli@gmail.com