Here’s a Case of ‘Murder’ Most Familiar

William Link’s “Murder Plot” at the West Valley Playhouse has a plot that plods and lines that are criminally overworked if not creaky.

It’s a murderously slow evening of yawns.

Link created and wrote such television series as “Mannix,” “Columbo” and “Murder, She Wrote.” Although those series depended on the charm of a main character, the central character here doesn’t win one’s heart immediately and, in a play, you don’t have time to develop an audience.

Although Angela Lansbury’s character, Jessica Fletcher, had her moments of lady-like superiority, she also had a grandmotherly appeal. Here the main character, David (Steve Ruggles), is also an author of best-selling mysteries, but his arrogance borders on insufferable (this is only somewhat redeemed at the end when no one really cares).

There is a rumpled investigator--a private eye (Craig Mitchell) who uses crutches and pulls out crumpled pieces of paper from his many pockets. The cast of characters also includes a frosty materialistic wife (Marcy Austin), a bimbette of a ghostwriter (Valerie Hager) brought in to cure David’s writer’s block and an unscrupulous publisher (Robert Van Dusen).

Jon Berry’s direction allows the pacing to drag in a piece that already needed severe editing, and the comedic rhythm is off. Instead, the suspense results from guessing how many people will return to their seats after intermission and how many of those brave returnees will stay awake.

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“Murder Plot,” West Valley Playhouse, 7242 Owensmouth Ave., Canoga Park. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends Dec. 1. $18. (818) 884-1907. Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes.