The Global Film Village

THEATRE 40 OPENS 46TH SEASON WITH AGATHA CHRISTIE MYSTERY “SPIDER’S WEB”

// August 9th, 2011 // Stage Play

Photo by Ed Krieger

by Marla Lewin

What better way to kick off a new season of theatre than with an original Agatha Christie mystery?

SPIDER’S WEB is a English drawing room mystery. All of the suspects are present from the beginning. The fun is solving the case along with the detective simply using observation and deduction. There is no need for complex forensics or gruesome autopsy here. The stage is set, we meet the entire cast composed of the second wife of a senior diplomat, her uncle Rolly, her step-daughter, several house guests, the household staff and the second husband of the young girl’s mother. After we get to know the characters and the unique qualities of the old house, a murder is revealed. Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, discovers a body in the drawing room of her country home. Her husband is scheduled to arrive at any moment with an important VIP in tow for a secret meeting. Clarissa has to create an intricate web of alibis and invention to protect her husband and perhaps the very fate of the nation. When her lies lead to new surprises the audience is left to untangle the puzzle. The play treats its mystery with humor and grace. This makes it a very entertaining evening.

Theatre 40 always assembles a first rate cast and this is no exception.  The company is made up of professionals actors who have had distinguished careers on stage, in films and on television. That is why you will usually spot actors on stage here. that you recognize. David Hunt Stafford celebrates his 54th role at Theatre 40 with this show. David is also the Artisic/Managing Director of the theatre. A new addition is the young lady preforming the role of Pippa (Ilona Kurlinska), who has just recently graduated from Beverly Hills High School.

Spider’s Web was written by AGATHA CHRISTIE at the request of its star, Margaret Lockwood, whose main body of work was in films and who had never appeared in a West End production aside from Peter Pan. It opened to rave reviews in London in 1954. The play was novelized in 2000 by Charles Osborne.

AGATHA CHRISTIE made her debut as a crime novelist in 1920 with The Mysterious Affair at Styles in which she introduced the popular Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.  She wrote more best-selling crime novels than any other writer including her series of Miss Marple mysteries. In the 1930’s she began a ‘second career’ as a record-breaking playwright with such crowd-pleasers as Murder at the Vicarage, Murder on the Nile, Witness for the Prosecution, And Then There Were None (or Ten Little Indians) and The Mousetrap. Christie became the the single most popular mystery writer of all time. In all, she wrote over 66 novels, plays, numerous short stories and screenplays. Her stories have been made into successful feature films, including Murder on the Orient Express. Her work is often included in each season of the long running PBS series Mystery.

SPIDER’S WEB is directed by the multi-talented BRUCE GRAY. No stranger to mystery Gray has had a great success with Agatha Christie! He staged a critically acclaimed production of Agatha Christie’s BLACK COFFEE last year to kickoff Theatre 40’s season.  His critically acclaimed production of AGATHA CHRISTIE’s  Unexpected Guest at Theatre 40 a number of years ago, was so popular with audiences that it was transferred to the Tiffany Theatre and a very successful run. Another show for Theatre 40 was the Voysey Inheritance, a new translation by David Mamet, paralleling the Bernie Madoff Affair it garnered several “Critic’s Choices”.

Gray has directed a play each year for the Company, from Neil Simon’s moving Chapter Two to Seymour In The Very Heart of Winter (Critic’s Choice).  His 9th directorial assignment for Theatre 40 was a revival of Joe Orton’s comic masterpiece What The Butler Saw. His earlier productions of Orton’s Loot and Entertaining Mr. Sloane received multiple Drama-logue awards, and were nominated for Robbie and LA Weekly awards.  Bruce Gray is an actor by profession. His latest gig is as a scientist in the new Steven Spielberg hit series Falling Skies on TNT. More of his credits appear on imdb or www.bruce-gray.com

PRODUCTION: SPIDER’S WEB

By AGATHA CHRISTIE

Director: BRUCE GRAY

WHERE: THEATRE 40 at the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 Moreno Drive on the Beverly Hills High School Campus (off Little Santa Monica adjacent to Century City)

Opened Thursday, July 28th for five weeks playing Thursday through Sunday, closing on August 28th.

PERFORMANCES: Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 PM; Sunday at 2 PM

TICKETS: Thursday and Friday: $23.00 Saturday and Sunday: $25.00

Students & members of the 4A’s half-price on stand-by at the door

RESERVATIONS: 310-364-0535 or buy tickets on line at http://www.theatre40.org

Theatre is newly renovated and air-conditioned, with ample FREE INDOOR parking – disabled access – credit cards are welcome!