St. Albert Theatre produces murder and mayhem

St. Albert Theatre Troupe’s season closer, Murder at the Howard Johnson’s, is a tale that’s all too familiar with audiences.

Bored housewife meets a single man and has a torrid affair. When the clandestine relationship reaches a peak, the wife wants to dispatch the inconvenient husband. The impending doom never occurs.

In the second scene, the light-headed housewife and her husband plan to off the boyfriend. That plan also goes haywire.

And in the final scene, another pair attempts to finish the job. This time, the men gang up on the woman.

Playwrights Ron Clark (Revenge of the Pink Panther) and Sam Bobrick’s (Andy Griffith Show/Get Smart/Bewitched) two-act play never fared well on Broadway. It closed after 14 performances. However, the slapstick film noiresque vibe continues to be shortlisted for community theatres.

Although the play did not have a long-lasting pedigree, director Kandice Laurie, a drama teacher at Sherwood Park’s Clover Bar Junior High, was itching to get started.

“When I first read the script I was laughing out loud right away. I could tell it was a witty piece and it was right up my alley,” Laurie said.

“And as I was reading it, I was starting to imagine what it would look like, how the relationships were created and how the physical blocking could be created.”

Murder at the Howard Johnson’s is Laurie’s first production with St. Albert Theatre Troup, however she is far from being a newbie.

As well as directing musicals at school (the biggest cast was for Annie with 90 Grade 7 to 9 students), she worked with professional casts at Two One Way Ticket to Broadway, Abandon All Anecdotes Theatre Company and Cowardly Kiss to name a few.”

“Directing three actors is not a problem especially when the characters are in the mid to late 30s.”

For two characters, Laurie recruited actors she had worked with before. Allison Walker, an associate from Rocky Horror Show, plays the dippy femme fatale Arlene.

Another friend, Michael Vetsch was tapped as Paul, the husband and blundering used car salesman.

“Michael came in later. We had originally cast someone else. But he had to bow out due to health issues. But I’m so glad we got Michael. He is so suitable for the role. He’s a smart actor, he knows the style and he knows how to highlight it.”

And St. Albert resident, Peter Boer, in his first role with St. Albert Theatre Troupe, takes on the role of Mitchell, a skirt-chasing dentist who sees himself as a dashing heroic type.

As Arlene ping-pongs between the two men, the premise is that she doesn’t know what she wants, says Laurie.

“She knows she wants change but wants others to fix her problems. She has grandiose ideas but doesn’t want to get her hands dirty.”

Interestingly, the two men in Arlene’s life are complete opposites.

“Paul is fairly meek and pathetic. He has no idea what’s going on with Arlene and he’s quite shocked at what he finds in the hotel room.”

“Mitch is quite full of himself, but he loves Arlene and would do anything for her. The way Peter has interpreted Mitch, he has quite a comedic edge.”

While the 90-minute production was designed as a farce, Laurie believes there’s a universal message of dissatisfaction.

“At heart there are a lot of people today that aren’t happy and are looking for more. But most people don’t go to these extremes. They’re more grounded in reality.”

Having said that, she also believes there is a place in theatre for plain old hilarity and senselessness.

“Sometimes we need to laugh at people for one or two hours and this show does that.”