"WHOSE BODY?" at Lifeline Theatre
BY LUCIA MAURO
It’s not every day that one stumbles upon a dead body in one’s bath – especially an unknown corpse. Even more unlikely is an account of this confounding mystery written in a lighthearted – even deliciously enjoyable -- tone. But British author Dorothy L. Sayers’ 1923 book, "Whose Body?," does not recoil at the prospect of treading on darker psychological soil. Frances Limoncelli’s rattlingly incisive adaptation of Sayers’ first novel, introducing mystery fans to gentleman sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, strikes a crisp balance between the whimsical and the debauched.
In her brisk staging for Lifeline Theatre, director Dorothy Milne takes her multifaceted actors to the brink of absurdity while grounding them in natural conviction. So comedy and shocking truths unobtrusively merge. "Whose Body?" revolves around Wimsey’s deciphering of a perplexing murder of an unidentified corpse found in a bathtub and that body’s odd connection to a missing financier.
The story begins in a breezy vein, as Wimsey relishes the "game" of crime-solving, before making a startling descent into the dankest crevices of the human psyche (including Wimsey’s own frightful "episodes" sparked by wartime trauma). The final revelations are quite gruesome and involve more than one murder, as well as the exhumation of various body parts. Yet Limoncelli’s adaptation strikes an intelligent balance between horror and heartfelt civility.
There’s a lush confectionery quality to Sayers’ language, particularly in the opening segment as the corpse is described as wearing nothing but "pince-nez," together with the tongue-twisting trifles of the moniker of the body’s discoverer, "Mr. Thipps," and another unseen individual named Throgmorten. Combine this with Mr. Thipps’ deaf-as-a-doornail mother, and audiences may think they’re in for a farce.
Nevertheless, lurking in the wings of Wimsey’s swift bon mots – and Sayers’ linguistic milk bath – is a foul sort of dread doused with an unspeakable melancholy. One deft example of the writer’s gift for joining the elegant and the macabre has to do with Wimsey’s comparison of stringing clues together to a pearl necklace, which eventually gets shaped into a noose to hang oneself.
As the aristocratic detective’s possibilities begin to narrow, he undergoes a crisis of faith. Sleuthing, he realizes, can never be regarded as a game "when people are getting hurt." And, as much as his leisure-class concerns (like his valet’s serving his best Napoleon brandy to a common witness) keep him entangled in random superficialities, Wimsey forges ahead with rock-solid conviction when it comes to issues of justice and the human capacity for dastardly deeds.
If there is one flaw in this brisk two-hour adaptation, it’s the erratic and poorly established feud between Wimsey and the resentful Inspector Sugg. Others also may complain that Peter Greenberg’s alternately flippant and broad portrayal of the subtle and cerebral Wimsey is not how they would imagine his character to come to life. Nevertheless, Greenberg’s feisty portrayal is one of the main reasons to catch this remarkably non-trite, old-fashioned thriller. His interpretation is charged with kinetic grace and intricately tortured dimensions.
While some may argue that the performances veer on the cartoonish, the actors find a delightful bridge between inciting guffaws and gasps. And, regardless of the fact that they are portraying familiar "murder-mystery" types, the cast is so committed and on-the-mark that they explode with many emotional hues. Marssie Mencotti as Wimsey’s outspoken doyenne mother, The Dutchess, graciously steals every scene by the mere roll of an eye or quiet change in timbre. Vance Smith firmly takes control of his roles as the attractively naïve Inspector Parker and flustered Mr. Thipps.
Katie McLean, a gifted comedienne, does her best work as a hyperventilating housekeeper, whose less-than-admirable morals are riotously played out before the Inquest. Shole Milos shines in multiple roles (especially American railway king, Mr. Milligan), and David Kropp traverses the warmest and iciest terrain in his various portrayals. Only James E. Grote as Wimsey’s sharp valet and as a doubting pathologist can grow more secure with his lines.
Alan Donahue’s imaginative set – filled with empty gilt frames, a versatile clothes rack and a bathtub that continuously transmogrifies before our eyes – leaves plenty of room for those all-important blank spaces. Lighting designer Kevin Gawley creates a rich and mysterious chiaroscuro palette, which artfully accents Melanie Parks-Baumgartner’s smart, aristocratic costumes. Corbett Lunsford’s striking sound design avoids the trap of cliched telegraphing.
More than a ripping-good whodunit, "Whose Body?" digs deeper into the vagaries of the human soul. It ultimately asks us to explore that age-old noble force – or nuisance -- within us all: our conscience.•
"Whose Body?" runs through August 18 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood. Tickets: $16-$20. Call 773-761-4477 or log onto www.lifelinetheatre.com. Lifeline Theatre offers complimentary shuttle-bus service between its parking lot and facility, and hands out blankets for patrons who might feel chilly from the air conditioning (or just chilled by this macabre tale).
