It didn't work, and the blame must go to the inexperienced direction of Chelsea Landon, whose staging and pacing throughout were downright ponderous. In addition, her stage (too small to accomodate a cast of twelve) was often cluttered with very poor facsimiles of real furniture, while her scene changes featured silly orchestral versions of 80's pop songs like the Eurhythmics' Sweet Dreams Are Made of This and The Cranberries' Zombie that elicited giggles from more than a few members of the audience.
It didn't help matters that actor James Venable was ill at ease in stepping into the shoes of Robert Mitchum and Humphrey Bogart (admittedly a daunting task for any actor) as detective Bobby Sullivan. Venable lacked the toughness, confidence, and poise to pull the role off.
All was not lost, though. The production did feature a gallery of solid performances from the supporting cast, who managed to rise above the poor direction and cramped space. Standouts included Kelleher, superb as Bobby’s father Tommy, and Basil Meola, who brought humor (much needed) and charm to the role of Bobby's partner Gino. Timothy J. Cox delivered an explosive turn as Jacob Lasky, while both George Raboni and Joe Grimaldi were spot on as police detectives Lopez and Kawalski, respectively. Einar Gunn was also top-notch as a fellow concentration camp survivor and friend of Jacob Lasky.
After the performance I heard chatter that the show may be extended in the coming weeks. For this production to be successful, however, it needs a lot of work. Meanwhile, If you want to view some great film noir, stick with the classics like The Maltese Falcon, Chinatown, Touch of Evil, and Out of the Past.
Two Detectives closed Saturday Night.
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