03/17/04

In Rupert Holmes' archly funny "Accomplice," the award-winning playwright spoofs such theatrical mysteries as "Sleuth" and "Deathtrap" with an insouciance and razor wit that makes you wish the play's layers would just keep peeling away, that the hairpin plot twists would just keep sending you happily around the bend for a bit longer.

We're never quite sure where we are, whether it's a posh English country home or a clever stage set of a manor parlor on the moors. However, if we'd paid attention to some of the clues from the beginning, things might have been clearer.

Maybe. Maybe not. Holmes' plot, part sex farce and part whodunit, is so slippery and intriguing (and not to be given away) that all we can do is hold on for the ride and let the surprises come. Forget the scene descriptions in the program. They won't help you.

In "Accomplice," Lakewood Theatre Company has a winner. It's directed by Alan Shearman, a jack-of-all-trades in the theater (co-writer of "Bullshot Crummond" and "Footlight Frenzy," among other credits). He leads an intelligent quartet of actors through some tricky paces, and the result is a well-timed, fine-tuned production.

Ben Plont, former associate director of Theatre Vertigo who performed frequently with that company, is great as a dapper London broker who morphs into an entirely different character as details unfold.

Susan Jonsson, as the comely wife of the man of the house, at first sounds straight from a Noel Coward play. But her character also takes an interesting turn, and another, then another, as illusions are peeled away and the story edges closer to the truth.

Veteran Portland actor Scott Parker does some of his best work ever as Gentleman Number Two, a pale, cantankerous fellow with a stubborn yet malleable face who at one point, we realize, is also a broker (or is he?). Parker delivers a wonderful monologue explaining a typical day in the life of a London executive. It's great writing by Holmes, and marvelous delivery from Parker, for whom it seems expressly written.

Amelia Zirin-Brown, who recently performed multiple roles in "Gilgamesh" with the Haven Project, shines in the humor department as well. She creates yet another fluid character, this time a young, sexy thing whose identity -- which we don't want to reveal -- is never quite what it appears to be.

In "Accomplice," it doesn't really matter what happens at the end. It's getting there that's the fun part, and these actors make sure we have a ball. Chris Whitten designed the impressively detailed set. Lighting design is by Kurt Herman.

Holly Johnson: c/o The Oregonian A&E, 1320 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201.