The Unforgettable Line

In a secluded stately home in the Connecticut woods, a married team of well-educated psychiatrists uses psychodrama to help their troubled patients work through trauma.  One night, their cook witnesses a young redhead murdering the husband.  A handsome police detective is called to the scene.  The therapists claim it was merely a client acting out a dream.  A series of clues to the truth are dropped over seven scenes representing a single week.  This is the set-up of Perfect Crime, an Off-Broadway mystery with a record-breaking run.  So why is this production still so unsure of its storytelling capabilities that each audience member is handed a 17 point solution sheet upon exit?

The viewing experience begins cleverly enough.  The comfortable lobby centers on a massive mugshot board with a bucket of props beside it for taking selfies.  Tips for committing the perfect crime are hung on the the pillars around a welcoming bar offering an array of theme cocktails.  The producers have thoughtfully paid for Wordly, a translation and caption service that can provide the play’s dialogue in a number of languages.  

Upon entry to the 194 seat house, one sees an authoritative set designed by Jay Stone dressed with Neo-Gothic furniture and leather bound books.  Other creative elements could use an update.  An intricate brick mural that provides a critical plot point has become dull with time.  A talk show clip obviously filmed years ago no longer fits the time frame.  Musical cues, though significant to the plot, are loud enough to intrude on conversation and an important recorded message has become garbled.  

Playwright Warren Manzi, a Yale School of Drama graduate, wrote the original script for Perfect Crime when he was only in his mid 20s.  Reviews at the time indicated it was too complex to absorb, so he continually refined it.  Mr. Manzi’s legal counsel is executive producing the current run.  The piece still begins with a stereotypical phone call in a storm, but this is quickly revealed to be part of a therapeutic reenactment.  Along the way, there are several of these unusual, even sophisticated elements.  

It is the performance of Guinness Book of World Records holder Catherine Russell as famed therapist Dr. Margaret Thorne Brent that makes this playful mystery descend into rubbish.  Lines are ejected from her mouth without any differentiation, as if written as a single run-on sentence.  She never genuinely reacts to any of her scene partners, a basic tenet of the craft.  Her physicality is equally hasty.  For example, when her character juggles multiple phone calls, she often forgets to press the hold button on the phone until she has spoken several sentences to the incorrect person.  I found references to Ms. Russell’s somnambulism dating back at least three years.  The Show Score — usually an enthusiastic measurement — stands at equal parts positive and negative.  She may pride herself on only missing four performances over the years, but in all the important ways she has stopped showing up.

The rest of the cast, most of whom are making their Off-Broadway debuts, struggle along with what they are handed.  David Butler is the most successful as the multi-layered W. Harrison Brent.  Taking on the role of the bored and probably alcoholic Inspector James Ascher is a charming Adam Bradley.  I had the pleasure of seeing Mark Epperson — understudy for all the male roles — as Lionel McAuley, a particularly unhinged yet clever patient of Margaret’s. Seen only on video, Patrick Robustelli plays talk show host David Breuer.  

Catherine Russell was a treasured member of the theatrical community.  Her image was captured by famed illustrator Al Hirschfeld. She was a lead producer of the legendary revival of The Fantastics.  Her proceeds were used in part to build The Theater Center which houses Perfect Crime and several other stages that can be rented out for daring works in development and entertaining parody musicals.  Why, in a time when theater is under threat and yet remains filled with energetic talent, has she chosen to turn in a thoroughly careless performance devoid of heart? That, my dear readers, is perfectly criminal.

Perfect Crime is playing at the Anne L. Bernstein Theater at The Theater Center, 120 West 50th Street. Seats purchased through numerous discounted services are assigned by the box office, which stuffs the first few rows of the low raked house.  Performances are evenings Thursday – Tuesday with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Running time is about two hours with the intermission.  A detailed plot is available on Wikipedia, which would add greatly to your ability to follow along with the curveballs. For more information, visit https://www.perfect-crime.com.