Following their all-around fabulous London Suite, The Group Rep makes it two in a row with a terrifically directed/acted revival of the Ken Ludwig-meets-Conan Doyle-meets-Agatha Christie farce The Game’s Afoot; Or Holmes For The Holidays, a particularly tasty treat for audiences in search of December fare that’s not Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

With as many as three mysterious deaths to investigate and every single suspect given ample motive for murder, audiences will have as much fun trying to figure out who dunnit as they’ll have savoring one colorful character after another, not the least of whom is based on a real-life star of the early 20th-century stage.

The actor in question is William Gillette (Neil Thompson), whose self-penned play’s concluding scene opens The Game’s Afoot with a literal bang, as Gillette’s now 70ish Sherlock Holmes finds his curtain call interrupted by an arm-grazing bullet.

Flash forward to Christmas Eve 1926 and the Connecticut mansion where a recovering William and his dotty nonagenarian mother Martha (Clara Rodriguez) have invited his costars and a surprise guest over for a holiday fete.

There’s bubbly ingenue Aggie Wheeler (Sascha Vanderslik) and her boyishly handsome beau Simon Bright (Troy Whitaker), William’s longtime bestie/costar Felix Geisel (Patrick Skelton) and his firecracker of an actress wife Madge (Barbara Brownell), and vampy New York drama critic Daria Chase (Susan Priver), whose poison pen has savaged each and every one of them at least once.

Aggie provides the evening’s first big news, announcing that less than a year after having become a honeymoon widow, she has tied the knot with Simon, news that gets even better when the latter learns that his wife has inherited millions.

Aggie’s announcement pales, however, in comparison to Daria’s that stage doorman Noggs has just been murdered, a note found at the scene of the crime suggesting that the killer is most likely one of tonight’s guests.

When one of the assembled company ends up with a knife in their back, there’s no one better to investigate than Miss Marple stand-in Inspector Goring (Michele Schultz), assuming she is who she says she is.

Though farce master Ludwig eschews some of the genre’s conventions this time round, there’s still more than enough physical comedy, mistaken identities, and double entendres to delight, and William’s fascination with the latest technology, including a remote-controlled home intercom system, is a nifty comedic addition to the mix.

More importantly, the playwright/mystery aficionado keeps you guessing even after finding out who committed murder.

Under Larry Eisenberg’s often inspired direction, a spot-on cast hit all the right comedic notes, with special snaps to the once again divine Priver, who follows her dazzling star turn in London Suite with a series of physical comedy feats that steal scene after scene. (As to the question of “Is she or isn’t she?”, Eisenberg and Priver keep you guessing all the way up to the very last second before blackout.)

Chris Winfield’s living room set looks especially spiffy as decorated with Kyra Schwartz’s impressive array of props (including enough wall-hanging weapons to do Deathtrap proud). Angela M. Eads’ period costumes and Judi Lewin’s wigs, hair, and makeup design evoke the production’s 1936 setting quite splendidly, and sound designer Steve Shaw adds plenty of murder-mystery-ready sound effects throughout.

Last but not least, Douglas Gabrielle’s lighting design proves especially impressive in an eleventh-hour sequence lit to maximum suspenseful effect, Stan Mazin merits snaps for some snappy choreography, and Marc Antonio Pritchett’s fight choreography leaves more than one cast member gasping for breath.

Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot; Or Holmes For The Holiday is produced for The Group Rep by Lloyd Pedersen. Understudy Todd Andrew Ball is assistant director. John Ledley is stage manager. Nora Feldman is publicist.

Whether you’re an Agatha Christie/Arthur Conan Doyle aficionado or someone who never misses the opportunity to see a Ken Ludwig comedy, The Game’s Afoot makes for a fabulous holiday treat. If you’re a fan of all three writers, Holmes For The Holiday is one Christmas-season show you won’t want to miss.

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The Group Rep, Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Boulevard, North Hollywood.
www.thegrouprep.com

–Steven Stanley
November 26, 2021
Photos: Doug Engalla

Tags: Ken Ludwig, Los Angeles Theater Review, The Group Rep