[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Group Rep’s Spider’s Web, written by Agatha Christie, directed by Mareli Mitchel-Shields, produced by Brent Beerman for the Group Rep and running September 25 – November 1.
There is a distinct comfort in settling into a seat at the lovely Lonny Chapman Theatre, home of The Group Rep, North Hollywood’s oldest and most enduring theater company, knowing you are about to be treated to a production that values the craft of storytelling above all else.
This season, they have spun something truly delightful. While theatergoers typically flock to Agatha Christie for the gripping, jaw-dropping twists of The Mousetrap or Witness for the Prosecution, director Mareli Mitchel-Shields and producer Brent Beerman have brought the grand dame’s second most popular mystery play, Spider’s Web, to the NoHo stage—how wonderfully timed in the upcoming witching season! They also reminded us all that Christie’s real motive, hidden beneath her insanely clever plots, is pure and simple, fun.
First produced at London’s Savoy Theatre in 1954, Spider’s Web is a rare, delicate creature: a murder mystery that refuses to take itself too seriously, seamlessly morphing from a drawing-room whodunnit into a beautifully chaotic farce.
The plot revolves around Clarissa, the charming and highly imaginative wife of a diplomat. Clarissa is prone to spinning tall tales to alleviate her boredom, but when a literal dead body drops right into her drawing room, she finds that real-life high drama is a lot harder to choreograph than her fantasies. Desperate to dispose of the corpse before her husband arrives with a high-profile foreign politician, Clarissa hilariously manipulates her houseguests into becoming reluctant accomplices. Naturally, an intricately woven web of invisible ink, hidden doors, and secret drawers ensues, only to be complicated by the arrival of a delightfully wry detective.
Mitchel-Shields directs the piece with an expert understanding of comedic timing, ensuring the stakes remain high while the laughter flows freely.
Farce requires precision, and this production delivers it in spades. The pacing is snappy, leaning heavily into the play’s unique duality, offering tension and laughter in equally satisfying amounts.
The strength of this production lies heavily in its stellar ensemble cast. Eils Avalos, Reed Michael Campbell, Devin Dimitri Dominquez, Carol Kaufman, Joshua Lang, Ava Oran, Michael Panzarotto, Lloyd Pedersen, Neil Thompson, Chris Winfield, and Steve Young. All working together like a finely tuned clock, the chemistry among these fabulous guests as they panic over the body is marvelous, and the back-and-forth with the detective keeps the audience guessing and giggling in equal measure.
Visually, the production team transports us effortlessly into Christie’s 1950s world. Chris Winfield’s set design captures the classic, slightly stifling elegance of an English country home, complete with the mandatory secret nooks, a compulsory requirement for a good British mystery. Noemi Barrera’s lighting design subtly shifts the mood from cozy to suspenseful, while Shon LeBlanc’s costume design gives the characters a sharp, period-accurate sartorial flair, fully embracing the glamor of the age. Managing the chaotic movements behind the scenes is stage manager Cathy Diane Tomlin, keeping this complex web from collapsing under its own weight.
As The New York Times once noted of the play, all the dropped clues and plot contrivances are secondary to the joy of the ride. The Group Rep’s production honors that sentiment perfectly. It invites the audience into a game where, by the end, you don’t just marvel at how clever the playwright is. if you guessed who dun it, you leave the theater feeling rather clever yourself for being so brilliant!
If you are looking to forget the outside world for a couple of hours, and who isn’t, come and drown yourself in an atmosphere alive with laughter, suspense, and old-fashioned good clean fun, do not miss this tangled web.
The Group Rep is as magical as usual. Spider’s Web is absolutely brilliant! What a talented group of actors they have assembled! And what an utterly superb production of Spider’s Web!!
Tickets:
https://thegrouprep.com/show/a-spiders-web/
Where:
The Group Rep
10900 Burbank Blvd, NoHo Arts District, CA 91601
When:
September 25 – November 1
Saturdays at 8pm. Sundays at 2pm
After the Matinee: Talkback with Cast & Staff” after Sunday Matinees Sept. 27 and Oct 4.
Spiders Web Cast
The cast features the talents of Eils Avalos, Reed Campbell, Devin Dominguez, Carol Kaufman, Joshua Lang, Ava Oran, Michael Panzarotto, Lloyd Pedersen, Neil Thompson, Chris Winfield, and Steve Young.
The Team
Spider’s Web is directed by Mareli Mitchel-Shields and is produced by Brent Beerman for the Group Rep.
The Production Team also includes Chris Winfield (Set Designer), Noemi Barrera (Lighting Designer), Shon LeBlanc (Costume Designer) and Cathy Diane Tomlin (Stage Manager).