Laughter and suspense breathes life into 'Corpse!'

By Beverly Reichert, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, September 21, 1998

How is this for an artistic twist: an actor portrays an out-of-work actor who cooks a full meal on stage, checks his makeup in the reflection of his spatula, then contrives a plot to murder his rich brother.

Not a bad beginning - but wait! This particular actor, who first entered the stage as an old woman, portrays not only an actor, but also acts as his brother who the audience believes is the actor. Confused?

The actor, played by Ron Campbell, portrays both Evelyn Farrant and his wealthy, twin brother Rupert in Gerald Moon's comic thriller "Corpse!" Evelyn is jealous of his brother's wealth and figures out a plan to get his hands on it.

The story is set in 1936 London during the abdication of King Edward VIII. It begins in Evelyn's basement flat, stage right. The second act moves to Rupert's flat, stage left, then back to Evelyn's, stage right. And on it goes.

In the crazy juggling of scenes and sets, Campbell quickly changes characters and costumes nearly a dozen times, keeping the audience guessing which brother is who.

Director Shashin Desai does a wonderful job putting the show together. Under his direction, the technical and production staff create their own magic with lighting, props, scenery, bullets flying, pancakes frying and people dying.

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PLAY REVIEW

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Jacque Mellor, as the landlady Mrs. McGee, is the only actor seemingly miscast. Her obvious attraction to Evelyn is more meek than mettlesome, and her acting negates scenes that could be more humorous with a stronger character.

The overall brilliance of "Corpse!" is in its staging. In several scenes, both brothers appear on stage at the same time. Frank Ashmore, who portrays hit man Major Powell, diverts audience attention with his own comedic antics, while hidden exits and the magic of Velcro help continue the scene uninterrupted.

The story ending is anything but predictable. It is a classic whodunit with an unusual twist. When the laughter stops, the audience asks itself not only who did it, but who did it to whom and when and how many times.

Anyone looking for a night of comedy and mayhem will find the play to be the perfect solution.

"Corpse!" is currently running at the Long Beach Center Theater through Sept. 27.