Instead of a light-weight Agatha Christie mystery, this summer the Sierra Madre Playhouse is offering the hard-boiled noir-thriller, "Earth and Sky" written by
Douglas Post.
On entering the theater, play-goers will notice at once the atmospheric black-and-white sets depicting dark alleys, shadowy figures and a skewed nighttime skyline.
The rain-slicked, mean streets of Los Angles, Chicago or New York immediately come to mind. Kudos to set designer
David Calhoun!
Credit also belongs to
Kristen Cox for capturing the classic film Noir "look" with low-key, single-source lighting. Curling cigarette smoke and stark flashes of lightning direct the eyes to the characters and the action.
Barry Schwam's sounds of thunder and incessant rain also heighten the audience's anticipation of danger and violence. Dark, concealing umbrellas and high-collared trench coats portend menace; and a blood-curdling scream will positively stop the heart.
Together, they've created a thoroughly chilling atmosphere for this twisted murder mystery.
Kristi Leigh Snyder skillfully plays Sara McKeon, a poet and part-time librarian whose world is shattered one night when her lover of just 10 weeks is brutally murdered. Unable to understand or to go on with her life, she determines to find his killer; something the police seem incapable of doing.
Brian Francis is the tough and insensitive Detective Weber, who seems more interested in hitting on Sara than solving the case. He delights in revealing her lovers' shady past.
Dennis Delsing plays his bagel-chomping and soft-hearted partner, Kersnowski.
Lisa Steel and
Jessica Marie Smith as Joyce and Marie are convincing as they help (and hinder) Sara in her quest.
(See photos above)
Kenneth McClain is the shadowy bartender who promises to help Sara ... but at what price?
T.G Cody plays Eisenstadt, a creepy soul with a switchblade, whose vague threats terrify the young poet.
Thom Sanford plays the mob man, Gatz.
Sara's persistent questions and bold confrontations put her own life at risk, and soon there are more killings.
Skillfully woven into this dark drama are moments of tender love, as a series of flashbacks document the few weeks the lovers had together; each going further back in time until that first tentative meeting in the park.
Richard Trujillo is outstanding as Sara's lover, David. From his dark revelations and despair, to his first, shy attempts to connect, we discern the magnitude of Sara's loss.
Perhaps by the end of the play, the audience will have identified the killer, but the story's clever twists and turns under the able direction of
Jerry Morrison will be topics of lively discussion and debate.
"Earth & Sky" plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., now through Aug. 9. (Closed on July 4)
General admission is $25; seniors 65 and older and students are $17; children under 12 are $12.
For reservations, call 626-256-3809 or visit:
www.sierramadreplayhouse.org.
Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., in Sierra Madre.
There is ample parking at the rear of the theater.