| . | 04/16/2002
THE SMELL OF THE KILL: Hilariously Homicidal
By: Jeannie Lieberman
At its outset, three suburban housewives, loosely allied by their husbands'
common college bonding, are making the best of their relationships. They are
in Nicky's (Lisa Emery) large kitchen in a house worth $1.2 million (credit designer David Gallo). Their bond, we soon learn from Michele Lowe's script, is a variety of betrayals by their husbands. Nicky is preparing for her husband's imminent jail term for embezzling. Molly (Jessica Stone)
desperately wants a baby but her husband, who demands and issues hourly declarations of love on their cell phone to test the batteries, won't sleep with her. Debra (Claudia Schear), who appears slavishly devoted to her husband, harbors suppressed resentment of his infidelities and questionable parenting skills.
Their initial caustic banter seems dangerously sit com-ish, livened by some sequential stripping as each, prompted by a series of minor accidents, reveals surprisingly sexy underwear.
The crux of the matter and the real fun begins when the men accidentally lock themselves into the new meat freezer in the basement. We can hear them pounding on the ceiling (kitchen floor) for attention.
With alarming alacrity Molly and Nicky realize that letting them freeze is the perfect crime. Convincing Debra is another matter. At one point, after reciting a litany of her husband's conjugal crimes, Debra wonders aloud "would it be rotten of me to let him die?". Spontaneous shouts from the audience, "No", broke up the house and almost the cast, and, more significantly, indicated their involvement and willingness to go along with the premise. It was a riotous and rare moment of theater!
The actresses, as guided by director Christopher Ashley, are each perfect in their respective roles. Miss Emery's Nicky barely keeps a lid on her anger, Ms. Shear's reluctant hold on reality and eventual yield to the plan is multi-shaded and Ms. Stone's deadpan delivery of a not-so-ditzy blond is a must see. A departing audience member predicted "there's gonna be a run on
freezers!".
Helen Hayes Theater, 240 West 44 Street, 944-9450
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