Mysteriously good time

'Something's Afoot' brings satirical whodunit to Lafayette stage

By Julie Baxter, Enterprise Staff Writer
October 13, 2004

A musical, mysterious farce that has made its way around the globe makes its next stop in Lafayette.

"Something's Afoot," which has been performed more than 100 times in theaters from New York to London from Atlanta to Toronto, is on the bill at the Mary Miller Theater starting Friday.

The show, written more than 30 years ago by actor-turned-playwright Robert Gerlach and two of his acting cohorts, James McDonald and David Vos, takes a whimsical look at the mystery genre and staid British stereotypes. Think Agatha Christie meets Woody Allen.

"I love mysteries and I love that this play parodies something familiar," said Madge Montgomery, artistic director for the Lafayette Community Players. "Everyone dies in very imaginative ways. You start wondering who's going to go next and how they're going to go."

Victoria Knight-Allen, who is making her first appearance in a Lafayette Community Players production after appearing in community theater shows in the Denver area for nearly 15 years, said, "It's got to be one of the funniest shows to watch and do. We (the cast) actually end up laughing at each other."

That's just what Robert Gerlach wanted when he first set pen to paper in 1966 and finished the play in 1972.

"I've seen it performed about 50 times ... across the country and in London," said Gerlach, who will have seen "Something's Afoot" at least 51 times after opening night in Lafayette. "The approach is always slightly different, I'm delighted so long as the audience laughs. The whole ttention of the show has always been about making people laugh."

Jim Kimbrough, who is directing his first show in Lafayette after being recruited based on 10 years worth of work at other area theaters, said he's not daunted that the author will be present when the curtain goes up.

He has some history with "Something's Afoot," acting in it five years ago in Evergreen and directing it 10 years ago at the Coal Creek Community Theater in Louisville. There are no videotapes of the play or any soundtracks to purchase, so each director, each cast gets to put their own mark on it, Kimbrough said.

"The thing I like about it is the silliness. It's a spoof. ... It doesn't take itself too seriously," he said. That's not to say that it's over-the-top foolish, Kimbrough said.

There is a line between farcical and ridiculous, he said. The key is deciding where that line is and holding to it, "otherwise things can get too carried away."

Montgomery said toeing that line is an exciting responsibility.

"One of the challenges of dealing with something that parodies something else is it has to be interesting in its own right," she said. "You have to be involved in the mystery and the characters at the same time you're spoofing it. It has to work at both levels."

Parody is a style the Lafayette Community Players are becoming known for because of their annual Twilight Zone productions. But musicals are fairly new ground, with the company tackling only one other in its eight-year history. But this one works because of the small cast and the talent of all involved, said Ray Viggiano, who plays Col. Gillweather in "Afoot" and is among one of the fatalities — shot in the derriere by a poison dart.

The familiarity of the 75-seat theater also adds to the show's appeal, he said.

"It's just a very special place. People comment that they like the theater because of its intimacy," Viggiano said. "The actors are pretty much right there. You can see from every seat in the house. The audience feels it and the actors feel it as well. It's very nice."

And the Lafayette Community Players make that small space feel very big-time, Montgomery said.

"I think people are really pleasantly surprised by the quality of the acting of all our shows and the amount of heart people have for what they're doing," she said.

"Something's Afoot" is a nice showcase for that talent, Kimbrough said.

"It's a very light, fun show and around every corner there are new twists and unexpected thrills," he said. "It's a show that anyone can like."

The cast and crew (in order of appearance)

Cast
Victor Coppock — Clive
Joni Kiesecker — Lettie
Scott Watne — Flint
Victoria Knight-Allen — Hope Langdon
Maureen Hines — Dr. Grayburn
Eric Ross — Nigel
Ray Viggiano — Col. Gillweather
Danae Shanti — Lady Grace Manley-Prowe
Linda D. Orr — Miss Tweed
Kirk Neuroth — Geoffrey
Ryan Lance Croy — pygmy

Crew
Jim Kimbrough — director
Carol Ratcliff — stage manager
Jenn Ratcliff — assistant stage manager, sound design
Rick Hays — technical director
Judy Henderson — accompanist
Pat Smith — prompter
Don Thumim — lighting

The Lafayette Community Players will present "Something's Afoot" at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 30. There also will be a matinee at 2 p.m. Oct. 24 and a 7:30 p.m. show on Thursday, Oct. 28. All performances are at the Mary Miller Theater, 300 E. Simpson St.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $6 for children. Online and group discounts are available.

For reservations or for more information, visit www.lcptheater.org or call (303) 604-3841.