Theater can't be all things to all people, and it shouldn't try to be. Audiences who attend a play called, Murder at the Howard Johnson's shouldn't expect to see Hamlet or Death of a Salesman.
Still, the production launched by In Tandem Theater is a far cry from the level of, say, Neil Simon. Billed as an "uproarious comedy," Murder at the Howard Johnson's never rises above "mildly amusing" or "silly." There are laughs, to be sure. But most of them are one-liners, and they don't come frequently enough for this production to take off.
The plot revolves around two men and one woman. Arlene is married to one of the men; the other is her lover, Mitchell. He is plotting to kill her boring husband, Paul. Arlene is convinced that Paul will never agree to a divorce. (This play was written in 1979, when divorce laws may have been stricter.) Frustrated with Paul and agreeable to Mitchell's murder plot, Arlene is game to assist in the deed. When the murder fails, the other characters subsequently hatch murder plots that involve all three of them.
The proposed murder(s) are to be staged at the Howard Johnson's. Although the goofy plot stretches one's ability to suspend disbelief, the Milwaukee production's set, in comparison, is picture perfect. The 1970s-era set features the stiff, plastic curtains, the cheesy art works, chintzy bedspread and perforated metal wall sconces. Not surprisingly, cheap wood paneling covers the room's walls.
In 1979, Murder enjoyed a three-day Broadway run at the John Golden Theater. The talented cast featured Tony Roberts (star of many Woody Allen films) and Joyce Van Patten (member of the original cast of TV's "As the World Turns" and veteran of numerous TV shows). Noted Broadway director Marshall W. Mason (Fifth of July, Burn This) directed.
In the Milwaukee version, the cast includes Cat Yates as Arlene, Darryl Cherney as Paul and Dylan Bolin as Paul. Under Jane Flieller's direction, their characters are so broadly played, one is convinced they could do much better with superior material. The characters never go beyond one dimension.
However, a few of the play's moments are genuinely funny. In one scene, Mitchell tries to overcome Arlene's fears about her aging appearance. "Arlene, I can have any woman I want," Mitchell proclaims. "I'm a dentist!" Not long afterwards, a very "undead" Paul chases Mitchell onto the hotel room's window ledge. He then uses a bed pillow to try to push him off. The scene works because it incorporates the audience's imagination as the two men disappear around the corner ledge. Overall, the Milwaukee cast makes the most of very thin material.
Murder at the Howard Johnson's is a PG-rated, contemporary farce that is sure to please a segment of the typically non-theatergoing crowd. It is no doubt the wish of In Tandem producers that they return again, perhaps to see more challenging work.
