A new adaptation of Patrick Hamilton’s 1929 play, Rope’s End, has opened the new season at Hartford Stage on a thrilling high note. This world premiere production of Jeffrey Hatcher’s Rope is sure to please the mystery lover in everyone. There is much to praise here.
Loosely based on the notorious Leopold and Loeb case of 1924, where two young college men decided to kill a fellow student, Rope opens with the aftermath of a murder committed by Brandon (Daniel Neale) and Lewis (Ephraim Birney). The boys are hiding the body of student Ronald Kentley in a chest, so we are witnessing not a “whodunit” here, but an “are-they-going-to-get-caught” scenario. Set in the 1920s at Lewis’ sumptuous Mayfair flat (the gorgeous scenic design is by Riw Rakkutchon), Brandon has arranged a dinner party centered around the chest/tomb, where guests include Ronald’s father (James Riordan) and fiancé (Fiona Robberson). Also on the guest list are the boy’s former professor Rubert Cadell (a cagy Mark Benninghofen) and Ronald’s close friend, Kenneth (Nick Saxton).
Under Melia Bensussen’s meticulous direction, the characters play cat and mouse throughout with the suspense kept taut by Hatcher’s layered plotting. Improving greatly on both Hamilton’s talky script and Alfred Hitchcock’s experimental 1948 film version, everything works here. The homoeroticism between the young men is far more evident and significant here than what could be allowed or even hinted at in 1929. And instead of the original three act play, Hatcher boils it all down to one tense 90 minute thriller with no intermission to break the tension. Those brisk 90 minutes are brimming with suspense.
The excellent acting ensemble does not disappoint. Neale and Birney make a terrific team of opposites with varying responses to their deadly deed. Birney is a bundle of jittery nerves and contrasts effectively with Neale’s sneer and flamboyant sarcasm. Robberson is ideally cast as a typical party girl of the ‘20s, who has her own secret about Ronald, and Saxton’s body language, clad in a stiff tuxedo, speaks volumes as he slowly reveals key details. As the wise professor, Benninghofen’s eventual questioning of the murderers would put Hercule Poirot to shame.
In addition to the magnificent scenic design, Rope also boasts period-perfect costuming by Risa Ando, dramatic lighting by Mary Louise Geiger and, best of all, spooky sound design and original compositions by Jane Shaw. With the potent “English” at TheaterWorks just around the corner and this excellent production, Hartford is the place to be for great theatre right now.
Rope continues at Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford, Connecticut through November 2. For further information or ticket reservations call the theatre box office at: 860.527.5151 or visit: www.hartfordstage.org.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.
