By John Lyle Belden
Our goofy Greenfield friends at CrazyLake Acting Company tackle the multi-genre mess of “Murder at the O.K. Corral” by Blair Graeme, who was apparently inspired to simultaneously write a farce, a Western, a tribute to television’s golden era, and a mystery that honestly keeps you guessing throughout.
Set in those mid-20th-century years when all three of your TV channels featured legendary cowboys, gunslingers, and lawmen in white hats, we are on the remote desert location of “Days of the O.K. Corral.” Famed German director Hermet Von Kibbel (Jesse Vetters) has been hired to apply his eccentric style to Episode 57: “Curse of the Rattler.”
The show stars Hoyt Hite (Luke Agee) as Marshal Bat Bannister, with Stoop Nasley (Corey Yeaman) as his sidekick Ordinary Jones, Arlene Saknusen (Taylor Shelton) as schoolmarm Miss Fripp, Betty Bannon (Alex Paddock) as saloon girl Miss Pretty, and Fred (Matt Little) as Fred, the bartender. This episode features Leslie Syntax (Chris Vehorn) as gun-toting Wild Belle Oakley; Sheila Voo (Katherine Novick) as Gloria, daughter of the Rattler’s first victim; and Duncan Cadwallader (Trever Brown) as Chief Adobe, a stereotypical (typical in context) Indian.
Von Kibbel’s wild ways are frustrating for the cast and practically abusive to his assistant and script boy Wendell Alapeno (Peyton Rader). For camera man Bosco Laine, (Ethan Stearns), it’s just another job. It quickly becomes apparent that Hoyt was hired for his dashing good looks – and that’s about it. While he comically breaks character, and what few lines he remembers aren’t always his, the other actors are not exactly A-list either. Between takes, we get in their own accents their regrets in being stuck on a sweaty soundstage rather than on Broadway – or practically anywhere else.
Things go from bad to weird when the Rattler, a vengeful Native spirit, emerges from their story to actually kill someone. Who really did it? And who could be next? While each person has their suspicions and (like everyone in showbiz) secrets, Duncan – very aware how offensive his Adobe character is – frets that he’s obviously next to die.
I won’t say here who the victim(s) is/are, because not everyone stays “dead,” which further complicates the plot. Revelations of other names (which might belong to anyone here) add to the mystery. For instance, the actors all have the same agent, the mysterious Cookie LaJar, whom none have actually met.
The play is directed by Alex Agee and Christine Schefer, answering the question of what if Agatha Christie wrote a Carol Burnett skit on the set of “Gunsmoke.” The set here, with some clever features, was designed by Dan Riddle. Andy Sparks is stage manager.
Vetters shows his talent for an unapologetically over-the-top character in Von Kibbel, while Luke Agee gives us a likeable doofus as Hoyt. Rader looks a bit like a young Weird Al, complete with manic personality, as Wendell. Novick plays a character suspiciously in flux, from girlish to sneaky, while Shelton’s Arlene has quirks of her own – including aspiring to be in a musical, and frequently flirting with Fred. Performances all around are noteworthy, as everyone eagerly contributes to the mayhem, bringing on big laughs and head-scratching twists.
To visit the Old West, go east: “Murder at the O.K. Corral” opens Friday, running July 11-12 and 18-20 at the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts, 122 W. Main St. (US 40), Greenfield. Get tickets at crazylakeacting.com or Hometown Comics in Greenfield.
Plays with John & Wendy 