The reunion of a high school friend group, complicated relationships both current and past, a role-playing murder mystery game, and not one but two actual murder mysteries add up to a whole lot of wicked fun in
Trademark Theater's world premiere new play The Reunion. Trademark focuses on developing new work, so they only do a full production maybe once a year. And when they do - you'll want to go. And then stick with them to support the development work that they do, including readings of new works and fundraiser concert events.
The Reunion is smartly written, well performed by the talented seven-person cast, and features design elements that ramp up the spooky factor.
See it at Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood now through October 12.
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Clive reads his clue (MJ Matheson with the ensemble)
(photo courtesy of Trademark Theater) |
This reunion takes place at a creepy old house recently purchased by Sam (Michael Terrell Brown), the wealthy friend. He has developed an immersive role-playing murder mystery game with high school classmate Peter (Chris Hayhurst), who is not part of the core friend group, and in fact is not liked by some of them. Sam invites his buddies to the house as a sort of trial run of the game before opening it to the public. They include adopted twins Laura (Janely Rodriguez) and Clive (MJ Matheson), the former a successful lawyer, the latter unemployed and sleeping on his sister's couch; environmental activist Elizabeth (Emma Schuld); and new mother Susan (Katy Kessler), who brings her husband Richard (Sasha Andreev) along for the ride, somewhat reluctantly. To say too much more would spoil the delicious unfolding of the murderous twists and turns, but suffice it to say there are rekindled romances, secret reveals, childhood traumas, cryptic clues, basement searches, and funny voices. This is a play that keeps you guessing, and then guessing again.
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| things are starting to get interesting (photo courtesy of Trademark) |
Trademark's Tyler Michaels King and Tyler Mills created the piece, and developed it with some of the cast over several rounds of workshops. The result is a tightly woven mystery that's ridiculously funny, but also has some emotional depth in the relationships and experience of trauma. Everyone in the cast beautifully portrays their character, and they feel like a real friend group as they work and play well together.
From the well chosen pre-show soundtrack, to the spooky stuffy historic home design, to the lighting changes that includes candlelight and several suspenseful blackouts, the overall design really adds to the feeling of tension and unease. The costume design immediately tells us who these people are, from Sam's casual chic to Laura's suit jacket to Elizabeth's flowy skirt. (Scenic ad costume design by Sarah Bahr, lighting design by Tony Stoeri, sound design by Dan Dukich.)
If you like Clue, you'll love The Reunion. They're not unaware of the similarity (a group of people trapped in a house with a dead body trying to search for clues); the script makes reference to it (along with other movie and pop culture references). If anything, this show is even more unhinged than Clue, with more surprises, and also more heart and humanity in the characters and situations they find themselves in (some of them anyway).
