Prime Time for Murder! @ Pegasus Theatre
—Martha Heimberg
Correction: This review previously credited Jonah Munroe as “Harry” in the live broadcast; the role is in fact portrayed by Antonio D. Thomas. We apologize for the error and have corrected the review accordingly.
Harry is on TV! Black and white, of course. And he’s also onstage at the Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson, where his creator, playwright and Pegasus founder Kurt Kleinmann, has at last allowed his bumbling amateur detective and aspiring actor to be the smart guy on the job—well, sort of.
Prime Time for Murder!, the world premiere of the company’s 21st Harry Hunsacker comedy mystery, takes place in a local television studio trying hard to come up with a program that will be picked up by a national network. It’s 1950, and Harry’s short story is about to be broadcast as a live play on “Mystery Theater.”
What better venue for Pegasus Theatre’s trademarked “Living Black & White” show? Makeup, costumes and sets are presented in black, white and every tone in between to mimic the look and style of 30’s movies. This feat alone has brought Harry fans back for 35 years to watch their clueless detective fumble over dead bodies that bleed black.
This time, hapless Harry (Scott Nixon), his handsome paid-by-the-hour assistant Nigel Grouse (Ben Bryant) and skeptical Detective Lt. Foster (Chad Cline) are at the TV studio as “consultants” to watch the live broadcast. Then a real dead body is found in a dressing room, and the familiar trio conjure up way-out motives and listen to lots of alibis from the cast of actors, directors and drop-ins.
The twist in Prime Time is letting Harry create a version of himself who’s smart, suave, sophisticated, and handsome—i.e., he’s Nigel in all but name. The Black actor (elegant Antonio D. Thomas) playing the Harry role in the broadcast is sharp and good looking, but real Harry wants to be his stand-in, just in case. Whoa. Where’s the fun of Nigel’s spot-on, diplomatic solutions, while Harry walks into a blank wall? Bryant’s noble Nigel still makes the lady director drool with desire, but his comic skills are not showcased, having been gifted to Harry early on.
The murder mystery plots of both Harry’s TV play and the black-and-white spoof get purposely stir-fried in the first act, although director Michael Serrecchia keeps us aware of who’s who. The fun of the play starts after intermission, when Nixon’s Harry takes over and our beloved idiot Harry tries to perform in the “live” play within the play—he’s paralyzed when the lights and live camera hit him. Harry proves he can read a cue card – if not act – in the most charming scene of the play, set in a prison with the presumed murderer (glamorous La Keisha Leonard) angrily feeding him lines. These two are great comic scenemates throughout the show.
Alex Moore is hilariously perky in the show’s recurring slam-bang comedy role. She’s the pretty blonde with the determined smile presenting the sponsor’s broad range of brand products in a dangerously delightful drop-down set, equipped with ingredients destined to create disaster.
The noir style of the unique Pegasus “Living Black & White Show” is the show—and the actors, for the most part, are successfully woven into the varying plot patterns. Armando Monsivais’ nostalgic period music and Rodney Dobbs’ set design, featuring a television studio with multiple sets, is a real time travel machine. Michael A. Robinson’s costumes are beautifully textured in a zillion shades of gray. Leslie Patrick is in charge of the patented makeup design, and Roy Turpin’s wigs bring it all together. The first glance of the actors in makeup is still a “tada!” moment, surprising and very cool.
And does murder out? Oh yes. That happens, too. Twice.
Prime Time for Murder! runs through January 16th at the Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson. For times and tickets call 214-821-6005 or email comedy@pegasustheatre.com
