Red Herring

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Of the six actors in Michael Hollinger’s play Red Herring, five of them create multiple roles for this fast-paced pun swinging, very funny comedy produced by Firehouse Theatre Company currently playing at the John Hand Theatre.

Ed Cord and Trina Magness in Red Herring

Red Herring won’t set the world on fire with any social critique. It definitely won’t create any life changing episodes. It won’t even send you home with a myriad of thoughts to tickle the brain.

It does, however, provide a couple of hours of honest laughter in the midst of an outstanding cast showcasing their incredible talent. In today’s market, a couple of hours of honest laughter, supported by high-kicking energy is worth a net full of Red Herring if you’re a fisherman, and a pound of red herring if you’re a detective type sleuth liking surprises, twists, turns, deceptions, and mis-identification.

In a Boston Dick Tracy style, Red Herring zooms in on 1952. The H-Bomb captures attention, Dwight Eisenhower is President, I Love Lucy monopolizes Monday night television, and Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his rampage to rid the U.S. of all Communists through red herring tactics, double talk, fueling his power under high-powered suspicion.

In the meantime, a dead guy has been found in the Boston Harbor, Senator McCarthy’s daughter is about to become engaged to a boy, who cuddles a secret, and a wacky landlady plays life as a deceptive game of chess all for the sake of love.

Trina Magness wears the trench coat and hat for Boston detective Maggie Pelletier with distinct precision, clipped matter of fact tone of speech and tone of voice fitting a hard-boiled police detective. Maggie’s on a mission to identify the dead guy, and find out who dumped him in the harbor or she loses out on a Honey Moon in Havana. Magness does a fabulous job bringing Maggie to life with her quirkiness, professional detective spirit, and her trite detective choice of words. Magness makes the character real in spite of the un-realness of the character. No small trick.

Director Christopher Leo makes smart use of the small stage at the John Hand Theatre with precise and concise direction. He has his actors fill the words from the script with a fullness of color and distinct personalities. In untrained hands, this comedic farce could be over drilled with confusion running itself ragged with upside down turmoil. It doesn’t. It stays on track with timing sliced to a split second.

Smitten with Maggie and eager to marry her, Frank Keller an FBI agent who also wants to solve this espionage case, remains far more interested in marrying Maggie. Ed Cord not only plays Frank with the utmost authority, but a priest and Major Hartwell giving each distinctive attention.

Giggling hyper Lynn McCarthy, the Senator’s daughter, lives in a world of uncontrolled giggles, and very much in love with James Appel who must reveal a secret to her. Asking her to marry him, he needs her assistance. There she is the Senator’s daughter, and James happens to be a Russian spy feeding vital information to the Russians. L. Corwin Christie plays Lynn’s hyper giggling nature to the hilt along with Todd Webster playing James with a far more serious bent. It isn’t going to be easy telling this giggling bundle of energy he is a spy and he has a job for her to do.

Sue Leiser not only wears the frock of the Senator’s compulsive baking wife, and Lynne’s mother, but also wears the housecoat for Mrs. Kravitz, and Mrs. Van Nostrand. Definitely not the most vital and important roles Leiser has played, but her expertise shines with a solid brightness as she concocts three distinct personalities. She does it so well, one might think without looking at the program the three characters are played by three different actors.

As Lynn struggles in between giggles to absorb the truth of her fiancé and the demands he has laid on her, she attempts to tell her mother, finding at the last minute she can’t. Instead, she confides to her mother, James is a Quaker. Desperate to finish her sentence, and desperate for something that sounds truthful she sees the answer in front of her as she holds a box of Quaker Oats. Catholic as they are, Mrs. McCarthy eager to show her tolerance for all people finds that concocted truth just fine. Her immediate fear? Lynn would tell her James was Jewish.

When the dead body in the Boston Harbor has been identified as Andrei Borchevsky, a problem arises for Mrs. Kravitz. The love of her life happens to be Borchevsky wonderfully played by Dell Domnick, who also plays Petey, a colleague of Frank’s, Dr. Kasden, Herbert, and a Corpse. He even handles the Corpse with believability. I am so conscious of actors playing dead people on stage watching for breathing signs that immediately gives them away. With a sheet over him, Domnick stayed true to character as a Corpse with the non-breathing technique aptly in place.

Borchevsky lives in Kravitz’ boarding house, and when Maggie and Frank come snooping around his room looking for clues, Borchevsky surprises everyone by innocently walking into the room. With a straight face Kravitz introduces him as her husband Mr. Kravitz. To cover his obvious Russian accent, she explains he is mute, leaving Borchevsky to communicate through pantomime. Domnick is a giggle and a half.

Giggles under control, nervously Lynn attempts to deliver the secret package disguised in a box of Velveeta Cheese. Her code to identify her contact is but a simple rhyme that gets turned upside down and sideways.

Everyone is involved with this mysterious murder one way or another. All get caught, but all trundle off into happily ever after land providing a few laughs of its own.

For this fast paced comedic farce to work on a small stage the set demands definable pieces that are appealing and functional. The play takes place in several areas in Boston, Wisconsin, and the South Pacific. Stuart Barr accomplished a most credible design that works for the cast as well as for the audience. In between the scenes selections of South Pacific and Oklahoma are played speaking directly to or in opposition to the scenes. Kravitz soothes Borchevsky’s ruffled feathers over having to pretend he is mute by buying him an LP of South Pacific, his favorite. To get his juices flowing in the right direction, she makes sure he knows Some Enchanted Evening is on the LP. Leo and Marshall Arnold designed the sound. Brian Billings designed the Lighting, which played a vital role in the scene definition. Kris Hipps designed the Costumes fitting every character to a tee. Every aspect of this shows works hand in hand with synergy.

Red Herring should definitely be on the “don’t miss” list. The characters understand the word farce, taking their roles very seriously, the lines are cleverly and “funnily” written, but the actors don’t lean on them for support. The play provides honest laughter with honest fun entertainment.