Huntington’s ‘Spider’s Web’ mixes mystery with laughter
By Art Thomas
Insights
Published Nov. 1, 2006

Mention the name “Agatha Christie” and those of us over a certain age immediately think of the murder mysteries set in lush areas of greater London and England. In some instances of stage productions, Christie has written scripts that contain humor as well as chills.

Currently, Bay’s Huntington Playhouse is presenting Agatha Christie’s “Spider’s Web”.  This is one of the shows that has both visual and verbal comedy, and the audience on opening night was laughing a lot.

The setup for the murder in “Spider’s Web” is more interesting than the unraveling of it. Free spirit Clarissa is the second wife of Henry Hailsham Brown. She suspects that her precocious stepdaughter may have done in Oliver Costello. It was a blunt instrument at the back of Act I. Pippa, the young lady, is perfectly capable of the crime, and further, Oliver is the man who broke up Henry’s first marriage.

There is a need to get things cleaned up fast because Henry is soon to return with a diplomat as a house guest. Three other suspects are other men in Clarissa’s life, Jeremy, Hugo, and Rowland. There’s also a pair of servants who are always suspicious.

Humor comes from the body falling from its hiding place, and eventually disappearing. Clarissa, you see, likes to tell tales and no one is completely sure when she is telling the truth or not.

I’m not usually too fond of talky murder mysteries, and “Spider’s Web” runs a long time. It takes nearly three hours for Inspector Lord to question all of the suspects and for the event to be unraveled.

Brenda Redmond tries to be not only a tale-spinner as Clarissa, but also charming. She works hard, but I find the character to be completely annoying, and since it is a lead, the play got tedious very fast.

Tyson Rand has the usually enviable role of police detective Rand and he is all business. Assisted by Jamed Dickens as Constable Jones, the suspects are questioned with as much dispatch as the script will allow.

Neil Donnelly, Darius Stuffs, and Tom Johnson seem comfortable in British sweaters and British dialects as Rowland, Jeremy and Hugo. The rest of the cast are also good in their contributions to the show. I enjoyed Ruth Wilson as Mildred Peake.

John Hnat is “Spider’s Web’s” competent director. Perhaps the best element of this production is Tom Meyrose’ beautiful set. British countryside colors on the walls are perfectly set off by a chandelier and wall sconces.

The slow-moving plot of “Spider’s Web” may not hold the attention of 21st century youngsters, but the opening night audience enjoyed it tremendously. “Spider’s Web” runs through Sunday.