STAGE REVIEW : Murder Mystery Made for Music

Monrovia, a community with little theatrical tradition, has a diamond in the rough in the Monrovia Center Theatre.

From a so-so “Damn Yankees” early in the summer to the excellent “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” to its current show, the murder mystery musical “Something’s Afoot,” this is a community theater that is doing something right: turning out entertaining theater with style and discipline under the steady stewardship of artistic director Nick Charles.

This organization, in its third season, keeps getting better. In contrast to the countless theaters in the San Fernando Valley, the sprawling San Gabriel Valley has only two theaters with a strong local identity--the venerable Pasadena Playhouse and the San Gabriel Civic Light Opera. That makes the work at a place such as Monrovia Center Theatre all the more important.

It may be hedging his cards a bit for director Charles (who reprises his role of the caretaker) to revive a show he staged at the theater two years ago. But we’ll give him that luxury because this version of “Something’s Afoot” is so much fun.

Once the first guest at a remote country estate in the middle of the English lake district mysteriously drops dead, fans of Agatha Christie will instantly recognize the production as a fanciful spinoff of her classic whodunit, “And Then There Were None.” (Moviegoers may remember the story as “Ten Little Indians,” first made in Hollywood in 1945.)

So what to do with a chestnut like this? Why, turn it into a musical, of course. And, in this case, that makes all the difference. Most members of the jolly 10-victim cast take a solo or duet-swipe at the ebullient music and lyrics of James McDonald, David Vos and Robert Gerlach (who also wrote the book). House pianist and musical director Nancy Ramos knocks out the accompaniment, only occasionally hitting the keys so hard that the score drowns out the lyrics.

But this is not exactly a show where every word counts. What counts is the British style, the precise accents, the wonderful and deadly props, and the sublimely timed farcical turns. “Something’s Afoot” enjoys all of those as 10 weekend guests meet their destinies in bizarre, individual calamities, largely having to do with malfunctioning props spaced around unseen host Lord Dudley Rancour’s spacious living room.

As much as the strong ensemble and Charles’ crisp direction, the success of the show literally hinges on the clever set design and construction detail of Tom Osbrink. The mood is also enlivened by other details, such as props (Jean McQuigg), costumes (Lynnel Bryson), the spooky lighting (Cliff Present), and not least the rain and storm effects (Jerry Marble and Bruce Buonaro).

Which brings us to the cast, whose members come from all over the Los Angeles area. Leading the pack is the superbly twittery Linda Lowe as Miss Tweed, an elderly amateur detective who watches the guests begin diminishing one by one until it is her turn. Osbrink (the set designer) makes a perfectly dissolute nephew and Jerry Marble (the lighting man) amusingly puffs himself into an old army man.

Completing the jittery guest list (which nevertheless remains remarkably nonchalant about all the bodies) are Raylene C. Bement’s stuffy grande dame, Serena Bailey’s flighty ingenue, Jill B. Gerber’s saucy maid, Bruce Buonaro’s butler, Dan D’Amore’s family doctor and Ken Barkin’s juvenile.

“Something’s Afoot,” Monrovia Center Theatre, 120 E. Lemon Ave., Monrovia, Fridays and Saturdays, 8:15 p.m., Sunday matinees, 2:15 p.m. Ends Oct. 25. $5 to $10. (818) 303-9521. Running time: 2 hours.