In short, 'Sleuth' worth seeing
Theater lovers pressed for time will be glad to know this review of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's "Sleuth" won't take long to read.
Not because the Glen Ellyn company's production of Anthony Shaffer's wryly written, well-crafted 1970 thriller doesn't merit discussion. It does. Part satire, part homage, Shaffer's mystery drama is also a commentary on class and prejudice and a testament to the havoc that can result from a wounded ego.
But disclosing too much of the plot would spoil the surprise of this especially knotty mystery-drama that ran for eight years in London and for nearly three years on Broadway, where it earned a Tony Award for best play.
Essentially a battle of wits between a pair of masterfully manipulative men - distinguished middle-aged mystery writer Andrew Wyke (a nicely smug Bryan Burke) and young, good-looking travel agent Milo Tindle (William "Sandy" Smillie) -"Sleuth" unfolds as a cat-and-mouse game in which the cat and mouse routinely switch roles. Set in the English countryside circa 1970, the play opens with upper-crust Andrew - a clever man with a fragile ego and a flair for the dramatic - welcoming middle-class Milo - who's renting a nearby cottage - to his estate (a grand and gracious country manse by set designer Michael W. Moon) for drinks and a chat. The subject of the chat is Andrew's wife Marguerite, with whom Milo has been having an affair. Andrew, who has been having an affair of his own, seems indifferent to his wife's infidelity and agrees to a divorce. But he wants something in return. Knowing Marguerite's expensive tastes, he suggests to Milo that she will soon grow tired of the "Tindle two-week tour, economy class" and leave him. If Milo wants to keep her and keep her in the manner to which she's become accustomed, he needs cash. To that end, Andrew proposes an elaborate scheme whereby Milo will break into the mansion, steal Marguerite's jewelry, pawn it through one of Andrew's associates and pocket the profits. As for Andrew, he'll recoup the "loss" from the insurance settlement.
The first act ambles rather than sprints, finally breaking into a sweat in its waning minutes. But director Connie Canaday Howard ratchets up the tension - crucial for this show's success - in the snappier, more satisfying second act.
That said, Howard has found worthy opponents in lead actors Burke and Smillie, each of whom unveils his character's neuroses and wiles in a deliberate and rather delicious way.
Burke makes Andrew's breezy condescension and offhand disdain of his social inferior and sexual rival almost palatable. Smillie conveys Milo's anxiety as convincingly as he affects the character's icy cool. Each delivers a nicely delineated performance of a gamer who has at last met his match.
"Sleuth"
Three stars (out of four)
Location: McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn
Times: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 19
Running time: About 2 hours, 10 minutes with intermission
Tickets: $23-$33
Parking: Free lot adjacent to the theater
Box office: (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org
Rating: For teens and older