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'Sleuth' Delivers Tricks, Treats

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By DOROTHY SMILJANICH, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 4, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - The American Stage Theatre Company could hardly have picked a better play than "Sleuth" to open in previews on Halloween night.

On one level, "Sleuth" is an entirely entertaining and engaging contest of sly wit and arch deception between two antagonists involved with same woman, one as her husband, one as her lover.

On another, deeper level, it is a sinister, dark exploration of the forces of desire, disguise, class hatred and deceit.

So it seems appropriate that American Stage should unleash the forces of trickery upon its audience with the same sprightly good will and high spirits as youngsters ringing a doorbell and hollering happily, "Trick or treat!"

But with "Sleuth," the answer is both. It is a trick and it is a treat.

The Tony award-winning play was written by British playwright and Cambridge man Anthony Shaffer, not to be confused - but easily done so - with his twin brother, the better known Peter Shaffer, who wrote both "Equus" and "Amadeus," among others.

"Sleuth" was a huge hit on stages in London and New York in the early 1970s, then was made into a popular film starring Sir Laurence Olivier as the husband and Michael Caine as the lover.

Because it is a riveting and ever-so-proper British mystery with a spooky old country house, odd tenants, absent servants, ticking clocks, gunshots in the night and a suspiciously new-turned pile of dirt in the garden (the British did invent the genre, didn't they?), "Sleuth" has remained a popular entertainment ever since.

Directed at American Stage by T. Scott Wooten, this two-act, two-hour, two-actor production features Joe Parra as Andrew Wyke, the cuckolded husband, who is a successful writer of mystery stories and who is seeking revenge on his wife's lover. Eric Davis plays Milo Tindle, the naive but earnest and ambitious lover who proves a quick study when it comes to revenge.

Parra has become something of a fixture - and with good reason - at American Stage. He was a standout in both "Anna in the Tropics" and "The Drawer Boy." A sensitive and nimble actor, he seems always to have something in reserve, some quiet center from which he convincingly creates his characters.

The playbill notes that Parra has played this role of the aggrieved husband eight times, so perhaps it is not surprising that the actor has every gesture, every subtle move down pat. But be warned: the playbill is part of the fun and may be unreliable, at least in some regards.

Nonetheless, there is nothing unreliable about Parra. His sure-footedness is welcome and critical in a play that moves this fast and switches directions so suddenly, and it is a pleasure to watch him work. As an actor, Parra has one of those deliciously expressive faces - where the lift of a brow, the tilt of the head, a sudden glance or a slightly raised hand is enough to convey a world of meaning.

As the handsome, impoverished young man who means to marry Wyke's wife, Davis strikes just the right note. As the play develops, his character grows in awareness and understanding and also in his willingness to play the games that the husband sets in motion and then, finally, to initiate some of his own.

It is critical that he be sympathetic to the audience and he is, particularly in the first act when the husband's cruelty humiliates him.

Surprisingly for an American Stage production, the single set is a disappointment. As the opulent country estate of a vain and upper-class Englishman, it is a bit too sparse and threadbare. And the placement of a fireplace, back to the audience, seemed awkward.

Unfortunately, this is no trivial matter. The set should reflect and reinforce the rich and complex tapestry of the play, building on its layer after layer of intricacy and enigma. Instead, it seemed rather shabby.

THEATER REVIEW

Sleuth

WHEN: Through Dec. 2; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: American Stage, 211 Third St. S., St. Petersburg

TICKETS: $22 to $35; $10 student rush tickets available 30 minutes prior to performance; (727) 823-7529

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