Theater Review: “Dangerous Corner”
By Jessica Wong
Oct. 16, 2007 10:42 p.m.
When the lights illuminate the intimate Reuben Cordova Theatre on the Beverly Hills High School campus, the stage reveals eight formally dressed members of a publishing firm, enjoying their after-dinner brandy while at a weekend getaway at a country home.
But the relaxing scene is cut short when polite parlor conversation begins to probe at a fragile world of lies, theft, adultery and murder. The drama ensues at the residence of Robert (Grinnell Morris) and Freda Caplan (Julie Lancaster).
When secretary Olwen Peel (Laura Jones) avouches to recognizing a musical mint box that belonged to Robert’s brother, Martin Caplan, formal post-dinner conversation turns into a drunken interrogation and confessional surrounding stolen money from the firm and Martin’s death.
After his mysterious death is related, audience members are thrust into a murder scandal of who really was the victim and how did he die?
The accusations escalate with each glass of brandy consumed until the characters begin to stagger across the stage, slouch in their chairs, and loosely reveal more than they intend. As a result, questions surface from all directions regarding whether one of the parlor room companions killed Martin and stole money from the firm.
“Life has dangerous corners if you don’t choose your route well,” remarks guest Charles Stanton (Shawn Savage), whose warning makes up the central theme of Priestley’s play, which also explores the construction of time.
The end of the second act reverses time to mimic the opening scene, showing what might have happened if the characters had simply let the music box moment pass and shimmied to a radio dance band instead.
The costumes, which fall short of the upper-class splendor of such a high-flying social gathering, still do not detract from the cast’s outstanding performance.
Christine Joëlle is spectacular as the ravishing Betty Whitehouse, her archetypal glamour reminiscent of the bombastic Ulla of the Broadway stage production “The Producers.”
Joe Briggs plays Gordon Whitehouse in the believable role of a husband struggling with his marriage to a young, flirtatious wife.
Seasoned actress Nan Tepper’s brief but notable stage presence as the elderly yet robustly energetic author Miss Mockridge is a delight to watch.
The entire cast of “Dangerous Corner” appears to act with a genuine, natural chemistry, a more difficult task to achieve standing before such an intimately seated, visible audience.
The play perfectly suits its setup in a small theater that can hold fewer than 100 people.
Everything about the stage feels like grandmother’s living room ““ from the dusty bookshelves and old Victorian furniture to the room’s musty fragrance.
The real gem was the script, adapted from J.B. Priestley’s comedic 1934 whodunit for an American audience by Priestly himself. The story leaves the audience reflecting on the “what-ifs” of life, those seemingly trivial and inconsequential details that end up drastically changing the course of our lives and the way we perceive others.
Unexpected plot twists around every corner make for an old-fashioned and surprisingly thought-provoking evening of intrigue and suspense.
““ Jessica Wong
E-mail Wong at [email protected].
