Michael Hollinger's "Red Herring," directed by Paige McGinley GS, uses the complex political and social context of the 1950s as the background for the story of three couples' trials and tribulations with love and commitment. And that is to say nothing of the play's murder mystery.
While this multi-layered plot may sound like a recipe for chaos and confusion, it is not. Rather, each of the many sequences of events that unfolds is smooth and easy to follow. Perhaps this can be attributed to the simultaneously cynical and tongue-and-cheek humor of the dialogue that keeps the audience on its toes. Or perhaps it is the director's decision to play down set design and play up movement across the stage that keeps things flowing. However, after all the plots have been introduced by the second half, the script begins to drag, consequently losing the punch of the pace enjoyed in the first half.
The play's greatest strength was undoubtedly the cast. Six actors portray over 15 different characters and are consistently captivating in each role.
Particularly chameleon-esque is Natalie Kotin '06, whose range of parts includes a conservative housewife in Wisconsin, a pretentious boutique bridal shop owner in Boston and a slipper and robe-wearing landlady, Mrs. Kravitz. Andrei Borchevsky, played by Herald Opinions Editor Patrick Harrison '08, is the landlady's lover - a Russian spy.
Both the storyline and the characters in the opening scenes immediately elicit smirks at the comedy of romance. The interchange between detectives Maggie (Charly Simpson '08) and Frank (Jon Magaziner '07) in the first scene sets the stage for the dual nature of the play: love in the context of Cold War-era espionage. While Maggie is reluctant to agree to Frank's marriage proposal, she is called for duty at the site of a murder.
The audience is then introduced to a hilarious couple, James, a Jewish physicist (Colin Baker '08) and Lynn McCarthy (Rachel Caris '08), who capture the fumbling naiveté, anxiety and excitement of a young couple in love. Though these two characters already provide a healthy dose of laughter for the audience, that Lynn's father is Joseph McCarthy adds more laughs and another twist to the plot.
The performance featured a jazz quartet on stage: Andrew Lim '08 on bass, Nat Seelen '08 on drums, Noah Meites '06.5 on trumpet and Mark Mayes '09 on tenor saxophone. Though the audience was engrossed already by the first few scenes, the group playing 1940s and 1950s jazz between each scene sealed the deal, setting a range of moods reminiscent of the McCarthy era.
With a plot full of twists and turns and actors with such versatility, Red Herring will leave the audience with a little more perspective not only regarding the complexities of the 1950s but also the comic side of love and romance - and it does so with lightness and charm.
