Too-Slow Paced and ‘Guilty’ as Charged

In a program note for his staging of Richard Levinson and William Link’s thriller “Guilty Conscience,” at Cypress Civic Theatre, director Craig Harreld says, “It took a couple of weeks to figure this one out myself when I read it.”

Harreld should have taken longer.

For many years, Levinson and Link were among the top television writing teams, and their play is tautly and cleverly written. But its cinematic flow and need for split-second timing have defeated this director. The slow pace makes for a complete lack of suspense.

Arthur Jamison (Wayne Dapser), one of New York’s top criminal attorneys, has just returned from a case in Texas. He is roaming about the living room of his Manhattan townhouse, drink in hand, envisioning the murder of his wife. Each time he gets what seems like a good idea, the lights change and he pictures himself on the witness stand, facing a relentless prosecutor (Yvonne Robertson) who skillfully tears his plotted defense to ribbons.

What he doesn’t know is that his mistress, Jackie Willis (Maria D’Ambrosio), has been to see Mrs. Jamison (Sandra Terry), to explain his plan to kill her. They plot his murder. Plans don’t come together for anyone as their imaginary skulduggery falls apart every time. The ending is a surprise, in good television style, but its effect has been diluted by the disjointed timing.

Robertson is authoritative and hints at a sense of humor as the prosecutor, and D’Ambrosio gives a valid account of a dizzy blond who’s smarter than she seems. Terry’s angry and distracted wife is the surest and most stable performance. Dapser’s lawyer shows none of the charm that has kept his marriage together in spite of a string of girlfriends, and the wide-open spaces between his lines would bore a jury and probably prompt an admonition from any judge who wanted to get home for dinner.

BE THERE

“Guilty Conscience” plays at Cypress Civic Theatre, 5172 Orange Ave. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m. Ends Jan. 31. (714) 229-6796. $7-$10. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.