Poor Paul. It's a strange world for the used car salesman in the play Murder at the Howard Johnson. On Christmas Eve he is lured to a hotel to discover that his wife is in love with their dentist. Sure, he's more handsome than Paul but he does lousy bridgework. The lovers want to kill Paul if he won't grant a divorce. Mind you, the errant wife and her dental paramour don't really know how to murder anyone. In fact, the daring duo exhibit as much depth as a kid's wading pool. The dentist follows the fads; he keeps a closet of checks and stripes for whatever fashion wind blows, while Paul's wife spouts cliches in her efforts to find meaning in life. Paul's the only person in this play who is offering a reality check, but the self-absorbed couple is not listening. By act two all has changed, and the mnage a trois has mutated into the Three Stooges.
Murder at the Howard Johnson, a 1970s play written by Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick, is a comedy of errors that becomes funnier and more convoluted as the trio bumble on. It should provide a great evening's entertainment along with a fine meal from Pebbles Restaurant at November's dinner theatre put on by Peninsula Players.
The show features three strong actors who perform well together. The part of Paul is played by Geoff Davis; he delivers some of the funniest lines. The audience may remember him from his appearance in Jewel Thieves, also at dinner theatre. Todd Alain, who has appeared in the Driftwood thriller I'll Be Back Before Midnight, is once more playing a villain. Elisa Jardine, who also played a mischievous role in Midnight, now takes on the philandering wife, Arlene. Aren't the two experienced actors afraid of being typecast as rogues and murderers?
"Before that, I played religious characters," laughs Jardine. She appeared as the nun in Agnes of God and as Mary in Jesus Christ Superstar. Alain, who played the murderous husband in Midnight, is a lot less sinister this time, especially when he strips to reveal his muscular biceps during a dust up with Paul.
The play is co-directed by Deirdre Palmer and Llewelyn Keates and produced by Bob Dall, with technical and sound work by Barb Christy.
Fans of this bi-annual dinner theatre will know that Chef Max Pluess has a terrific five-course dinner planned at Pebbles prior to the show. The meal opens with asparagus salad, followed by garlic soup with sage and mussels, then a sorbet to cleanse the palate. The main course is beef tenderloin with horseradish mousseline sauce followed by a delicate cannelle tart for dessert.
The play opens Thursday, Nov. 3, runs Nov. 4 and 5, then again Nov. 10 through 12. Tickets sell quickly at Pebbles (Driftwood Inn) in Sechelt. Phone 604-885-5811 for more.
