This time last year, I had the privilege of attending one of the sold-out performances of Agatha Christie’s “Mousetrap” at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center. There’s something soothing about seeing a spooky show that foretells Fall when we are still trapped in the steamy dog days of late summer. This summer’s opening act to another season of the local Backstage Series is called “All Because of Agatha,” but it’s not about (or by) Agatha Christie. This stellar show does, however, bring the needed autumnal and occult ambiance to the sweltering conclusion of summer.
Prepare to be surprised by the spicy chemistry of the characters and their campy interactions, all set against the surreal backdrop of a haunted house in Salem, Massachusetts. Portraying the real estate agent Mr. Van Buren, Brent Fleshman hides nothing from the young couple prepared to purchase the otherwise wonderfully furnished home, known for its annual hauntings by the martyred witch Agatha Forbes. (As an added thing, some of the attractive set pieces are available for purchase at the end of the run.)
Caleb Grinder and Stella Land seem innocent enough as the leading couple, the O’Haras, but as the drama proceeds, their relationship gets more than tested by everyone’s anxiety about the upcoming annual haunting. Can Joan O’Hara’s interest in the supernatural sustain her and her marriage to Duff O’Hara through the ensuing craziness?
For three brief acts, audiences will be awed by the laugh-out-loud chaos of the characters’ chemistry, all colliding joyfully in seemingly random romance, with everyone connected by their anticipation of ghost Agatha’s approach. While the O’Haras might have imagined settling peacefully into their new digs, Jonathan Troy’s script had other ideas, with those ideas involving nonstop comedic interruptions. While Reona Lee as Mrs. Boggs fails to get the couple invested in the Society of Psychic Phenomena, the O’Haras do seek a personal chef and housekeeper in Anna Stites as Ethel Hinkston, who brings so much sparkle and energy to an already energetic cast.
By the second act, it’s become one big party complete with nibbles, as everyone awaits Agatha, everyone including Matt Kirby as Dr. Randolph and Paije Beaudry as Madame La Solda, the doctor’s mother and an over-the-top supernatural medium. Not to leave any angle untapped, Mrs. O’Hara’s aunt Thelma shows up to add yet more silliness and to impress the understated charm of Dr. Randolph, which Bre Brown does beautifully in that bold role. On party night, Travis Jay Wiggins is there as journalist Flip Cannon, to document the entirely delicious debacle for the local paper and to make eyes for Anna.
In theater and film, when an actor becomes so strongly identified with a particular character they portray, that is sometimes called typecasting. For big stars like Jon Hamm, that means Don Draper from “Mad Men” has followed him around in every role since. While typecasting might have a negative implication in the film industry, I propose that every instance of it surely began with one director or producer doing an amazing job in casting a particular show. For Cookeville’s “All Because of Agatha,” director Jordyn Strilecky could not have done better than in casting local activist and store owner Montana Chambers as Agatha Forbes. What was already a great production becomes truly transcendent once Agatha enters the chat. Some naturally gifted performers were born for certain roles, and that is certainly the case here.
Community theater productions carry the added benefit of bringing people together across generations for in-person inspiration in this increasingly online world. It’s always a thrill to see newcomers to the local stage mix it up seasoned veterans with decades in the scene. Cookeville’s new version of the older play “All Because of Agatha” is all laughs and love potions, a magical mystery romp and haunted hee-haw, a fantastic feel-good escape from the August heat.
-Andrew Smith (aka Teacher On The Radio) has been Cookeville’s theater critic for 20 years.
-photo of lead performer Montana Chambers courtesy of the Cookeville Performing Arts Center’s Facebook feed
-All Because of Agatha by Jonathan Troy runs on August 14, 15, 18, 20, 21, and 22 at 7pm, and August 15 and 16 at 2pm. The performances are all held in the heart of Cookeville at 10 East Broad Street. Tickets are available in advance and at the door, if a show is not sold out. You can call the box office at 931-528-1313.
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