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No Way to Treat A Lady
Music, Book and Lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen
Based on the novel by William Goldman
Directed by Kimberly Loughlin
Choreographed by Nancy Flaster
At Attic Playhouse
410 Sheridan Road
Highwood, IL
Call 847- 433-2660, Tickets $18 - $20
Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM
Sundays at 3PM
Running time is 2hrs 20 min with Intermission
Through October 8, 2006
“Never send your audience into rigor mortise.” –Kit from No Way To Treat A Lady
No Way To Treat A Lady is a cute black comedy that cleverly mixes a murder mystery and musical comedy into a potentially captivating romantic ramp. This boutique musical consists of four players, a couple of musicians, a tri-part set with Sondheim style, show specific songs. Based on the William Goldman novel and 1968 film with Rod Steiger, George Segal and Lee Remick, No Way To Treat A Lady became an Off Broadway hit in 1987 when Doug Cohen made it sing.
In New York City, in the summer of 1970, a serial killer is on the loose, strangling middle aged women. The NYPD has assigned one of its more bumbling detectives to the case — Morris Brummell. (Aaron G. Stash). He comes with a rather parcel of baggage. He is Jewish and has a complaining mother and a lack of success with the ladies to prove it. He is a ‘cop-nerd.’
Brummel is a second string New York police detective. He's not assigned the big cases because he’s not good enough to solve them. However, he suddenly finds himself pushed into the spotlight, pursuing a publicity-obsessed murderer. Jessica Lauren Fisher, as Sarah Stone, the rich WASP who Morris meets and falls in love with while following up on the first killing.
His quarry, Christopher "Kit" Gill (Michael D. McGuire), is an unsuccessful actor who is still trying to please his dead mother. Disguising himself as a kindly Irish priest or a slinky Latin dancer to gain entry into a middle aged woman's life and then killing her is indeed no way to treat a lady. He will only be a success in mom's eyes when he has a headline in the New York Times. Since acting won't accomplish it, killing must be his way to the top. Kit, haunted and taunted by the ghost of his actress mother, transforms himself into a gallery of unashamedly over the top but varied characters effectively portrayed and nicely sung by Michael D. McGuire.
The plot is clever in the way it spins along, allowing both Brummel and the audience simultaneously to question and discover what's happening. The score is generally better at moving the story along than serving as something to hum walking out of the theater. "I Need A Life," the opening duet by killer and cop, sets up their relationship long before we realize where it's all going.
"So Far So Good," the duet between Morris and Sarah, his girlfriend, could be charming. And "So Much In Common" is a cute number sung by Sarah, Brummel and his mother as Sarah comically wins over Mrs. Brummel (Debra Criche Mell) by agreeing with everything she says before she actually says it. This is a smart take on an age-old theme.
Aaron G. Stash acts the part as the bumbling detective and his warmth and nice-guy persona wins us but his singing is flat, nasal and ineffective. Stash simply is overmatched here. Debra Criche Mell as the Jewish mother, Flora and four of the victims had some nice moments as she quick-changed into the next character’s persona. Unfortunately, Jessica Lauren Fisher doesn’t give Sarah the sensuous persona necessary and her singing was labored, tepid and bland. There was no spark between Fisher’s Sarah and Stash’s Morris.
Michael D. McGuire, also took on several personas as Kit, the mother-fixated killer and sang his several songs with intense emotions. McGuire delivers the "I Feel You Near Me" lyric about the cop, as if it were a love song. Weird!
The double plot and the musical score work well together. The two mother-pecked, unloved and unsuccessful middle-aged men's interaction, the in tandem musical numbers add up to a dramatic and tuneful two hours plus, with enough potential tongue-in-cheek spoofing to signal light weight entertainment that never offends. Too bad the humor falls flat and the singing (except for McGuire) was strained and atonal. No Way To Treat A Lady could be a terrific show and, with a stronger cast, the satire of detective noir would work. When doing a chamber musical with lots of singing, casting strong singers should be a priority. Director Kimberly Loughlin went for actors. That is no way to treat a musical.
Somewhat Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2006
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