STAGE REVIEW : ‘Unexpected Guest’ Wears Out Its Welcome

In Agatha Christie’s “The Unexpected Guest,” now at Golden West College, a stranger appears out of the fog, only to find a murder has just occurred. The lovely lady of the house stands next to her husband’s corpse, stunned and holding a gun.

The woman, Laura Warwick (Carolyn Mattson), confesses to the stranger, Michael Starkwedder (Steve Casey), that she killed her husband. He was a nasty sort who used to shoot birds from the living room and torment just about everybody in the mansion. He was cruel, loud and he drank too much. It was good to have him dead.

Starkwedder, not revealing much of himself, listens to her story, checks out her soft eyes and high cheekbones, and illogically decides to help her. Before the police arrive, they concoct a wild story to explain the murder. An inspector shows up and begins his inquiry. But, of course, nothing is as it seems--not for the police, or Starkwedder, who discovers that he’s been duped by Warwick.

As with any whodunit, Christie has jammed “The Unexpected Guest” with a bunch of folks who may or may not have killed the man. Most of them, like Julian Farrar (Tim Bagley), Laura’s lover, have a motive. Christie tosses clues out here and there and employs often-laborious police interviews with suspects to give the audience a clearer idea of who is the most suspicious.

“The Unexpected Guest,” a middle-period Christie play from 1958, while not bad, isn’t one of her best. And, at Golden West, there are problems with the way this fairly mediocre mystery develops. Director Steven Jay Warner’s cast is pretty green, and it shows in most of the portrayals--many of the actors seem uneasy in their roles and the characters aren’t fully delineated.

Part of the problem is that Warner didn’t seek more variation in each of the actors’ approaches. Just about everybody speaks in the same clipped English style, apparently taking the usual British stereotypes for inspiration.

There are a few exceptions, however. Ann Marie Bundy shows some talent as old Mrs. Warwick, as does Randy W. Horton, who plays the supposedly loyal butler.

On the technical side, Warner’s set is well-done, and David Darwin’s lighting is soft and close to eerie. Diane Green’s costumes are appropriate for the period Christie is trying to evoke.

‘THE UNEXPECTED GUEST’

A Golden West College production of Agatha Christie’s mystery. Directed by Steven Jay Warner. With Geoffrey Mortimer, Carolyn Mattson, Steve Casey, Susan Girard, Brett Dalton, Ann Marie Bundy, Randy W. Horton, C.J. Wright, Robert Schmaltz and Tim Bagley. Sets by Steven Jay Warner. Lighting by David Darwin. Costumes by Diane Green. Plays through Saturday at 8 p.m. at 15744 Golden West St., Huntington Beach. Tickets: $4. Information: (714) 891-3991.