A SWELL WHODUNNIT CREATES ANOTHER MYSTERY: WHY THIS ACTRESS?

Part Rear Window, part Gaslight, Night Watch is currently dialing up the suspense at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills.   Lucille Fletcher’s yarn unfolds around Elaine Wheeler (Jennifer Lee Laks), a rich and troubled woman who sees dead people from her window in the Kips Bay section of NYC. The only problem is no one else sees them, and police investigations yield no bodies and no evidence of any crimes being committed. Elaine insists she saw what she saw and her husband John (Martin Thompson), maid Helga (Judy Nazemetz), and best friend Blanche (Christine Joelle) think she’s losing her marbles. Psychiatrist Dr. Tracy Lake (Leda Siskind) is called in to sort things out; if not, it’s off to a Swiss sanitarium for poor put upon Elaine.

The script is at all times involving. Drawn from old-fashioned suspense, mystery, and thriller genres, Ms. Fletcher peppers the plot with plenty of twists and surprises to keep the audience guessing as to what’s really going on (to say more would ruin the viewing experience). She is a master at writing “damsel in distress” story lines–clearly evident in her earlier works, including her best known opus, Sorry, Wrong Number.

As directed by Bruce Gray,  the action is set in the 70s, yet the show plays out like a classic movie from the 40s. He sets a good tone for the piece and coaxes believable performances from most of the cast with two exceptions. Ms. Siskind is entirely too big for the role of the shrink. Psychiatrists would never be as assertive as she is playing the character. In addition she has some very annoying mannerisms (wild and nearly non-stop hand gestures) which Mr. Gray should have reeled in. The big misstep however is the casting of Ms. Laks in the lead. She is always simply gnawing to watch, and unfortunately she barely ever leaves the stage. She gives a completely disingenuous performance that rings false at every turn. She looks great but is the epitome of bad soap-opera acting. Luckily the fine work by the rest of the cast prevents her from wrecking the entire show.

As is usually the case with shows at Theatre 40, all the technical aspects of the production are top drawer. No detail has been spared in  Jeff G. Rack’s beautiful set design, which fills the space perfectly. A large window frame, through which Elaine witnesses the crimes, hangs diagonally between the stage and the audience, allowing lighting designer Ric Zimmerman to work his magic in stellar style. Costume designer Michele Young and sound designer Bill Froggatt add to the perfection.

If you are a fan of suspense mysteries and pride yourself on being able to figure out who did what to whom, where, when, and why, then you won’t be disappointed by the unexpected turns the story takes. Just concentrate on the action and try to block out Ms. Laks as much as possible and you’ll have a fine time playing sleuth.

photos by Ed Krieger

Night Watch
Theatre 40
Reuben Cordoba Theatre at Beverly Hills High School
241 S. Moreno Dr. in Beverly Hills
scheduled to end on February 24, 2014
for tickets, call (310) 364-0535 or visit www.theatre40.org