THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 13, 1995 TAG: 9509120099
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: Montague Gammon III
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
The most important comment to be made about the opening night of ``Witness for the Prosecution'' is to note that there was an opening night.
When transient medical reasons kept a leading actor away from the theater, the rest of the Little Theatre of Norfolk cast and crew held to the old stage adage that ``the show must go on.''
Director Leslie Draper, script in hand, took over for one night the pivotal role of accused murderer Leonard Yole in Agatha Christie's courtroom drama. Since Draper is a praiseworthy performer, and could have been cast quite convincingly in the part had he not been directing, damage to the show was reduced.
Examining too closely the flaws that crop up under such distracting conditions would be distinctly unfair. It's hardly surprising that some experienced and competent actors turned in work touched with an artificial quality, or marked by the show-and-tell style of emotional display that is called ``indicating.''
Three performances that seemed relatively unaffected by the unusual stress do deserve comment. Frank McCaffery, Lynn Cameron and Carol Loria had moments that showed both ability and fortitude.
McCaffery plays William Roberts, the high-powered attorney who undertakes to defend Yole from a murder charge that is backed by apparently strong circumstantial evidence, and that is not rebutted by any strong alibi.
In the first scene of the play, McCaffery gives an especially relaxed performance that convincingly projects the character's competence, intelligence and self-assurance. Those same qualities come out during the trial scenes, when his examination of prosecution witnesses reveals Roberts' legal skill and intelligence.
Cameron has the part of Romaine Yole, wife of the accused. A refugee from East Germany - the play is set in the late 1940s - Romaine is something of a mystery woman. The depth of her character, and of Cameron's acting, is only revealed in the final moments of the play.
Veteran Carol Loria and her performance as a cantankerous, loyal housekeeper to a wealthy woman seemed untouched by the mishaps of the evening. Her acting was clear, her characterization unfaltering.
Christie's script ends with her trademark set of plot twists. As one looks back on the performance, one realizes how deliberate and thorough she was in her craft. There is no detail in the play that was not placed there as a part of her intricate plot.
This isn't to say that ``Witness'' is a completely believable play. The author plays fast and loose with judicial procedure, but realism was not the point. Keeping the audience interested was.
If anyone cares to do a little spur of the moment analysis of the text, one can pick out some telling comments upon the attitudes that men in general and American men in particular held toward women. As one of the most successful popular authors of her time, Agatha Christie must have found gender stereotyping especially galling.
The full cast, troupers all, are Thomas Brugger, Carol Wright, Donald Gracon, Mark S. Haynie, Tom Anthony, Al Aymer, Cindy Hebert and Dan Cantwell. ILLUSTRATION: AT A GLANCE
What: ``Witness for the Prosecution,'' by Agatha Christie.
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Sept. 17 and 24.
Where: Little Theatre of Norfolk, 801 Claremont Avenue.
Tickets: 627-8551.
by CNB