Tuesday, June 10, 2003

BY SANDY CULLEN
For The Patriot-News

Who better to push a send-up of theatrical personae delightfully over the top than a colorful cast of characters who have made acting their raison d'etre?

The assemblage of veteran area actors, along with some relatively new faces, brought together for Theatre Harrisburg's production of "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940," does just that, and with great panache.

John Bishop's suspenseful romp through the genre of old movie mysteries reunites a creative team whose last endeavor was cut short by a stage-door slasher still on the loose.

Set in the Westchester mansion of a wealthy backer during a paralyzing blizzard and its attendant power failures, the clever whodunit has obvious appeal to those with whom theatrical stereotypes hit home.

Director Thomas G. Hostetter's expert flair for knowing just how far to take his actors -- or allow them to go -- is unleashed to its fullest with a skilled and seasoned cast that masters the nuance of excessiveness.

Each of the play's characters is distinctly engaging. Patricia Osterhout brings a magnificent eccentricity to the role of heiress Elsa Von Grossenkneuten, who inherited a fascination for sleuthing.

Diane McCormick and Bernice Roth also perfect oblivious outrageousness in the roles of producer Marjorie Baverstock and lyricist Elizabeth Lavery, whose inspiration is unimpeded by the looming threat of death.

David M. Fisher and Rick Voight are studies in the power of subtlety as actor Patrick O'Reilly and director Ken De La Maize, while Robin Dorff strikes a superb sensibility as Roger Hopewell.

Craig Copas and Megan Zimmer are endearing as the requisite love interests -- comic Eddie McCuen and singer-dancer Nikki Crandall.

Leigh Detra Mallonnee is appropriately scary as the German maid Helsa, and Ronnie Banks is a solid Sgt. Kelly.

Craig Peiffer's expansive set is handsomely apportioned with secret passages tucked into the bookshelves in the library.

And costumes by Paul R. Foltz add to the production's visual appeal while splendidly recalling a bygone era.