In light of Robert Durst’s recent revelations on the HBO documentary series The Jinx, true-crime junkies like me spent last week on a media bender. Luckily, No Way to Treat a Lady offers some hair of the dog. It’s a strange musical comedy, reworked since its last appearance at Village Theatre in 1999 (also directed by Steve Tomkins), which was originally inspired by the Boston Strangler—according to source novelist William Goldman. (There’s a middling 1968 film version, too.) Predictable as something on LMN, Douglas J. Cohen’s 1987 gore-free, family-friendly show is one part murder-porn-gasm, one part hokey musical, and all parts fun.
Suffering a deadly devotion to his late mother (a celebrated actress), failed thespian Christopher “Kit” Gill (Nick DeSantis) dons various disguises and adopts different dialects whilst murdering women who remind him of her. (If he can’t be famous, he decides, he’ll be infamous.) Dissatisfied with his media mentions, he begins an antagonistic telephone relationship with NYPD detective Morris Brummell (Dane Stokinger). This cat-and-mouse script smartly balances engaging action with witty dialogue and lyrics.
Under Tomkins’ shrewd direction, this ensemble enchants with energetic singing and excellent acting. Notably, as the cop’s suffocating Jewish mother, Jayne Muirhead provides a performance reminiscent of Estelle Getty. She and Morris’ shiksa love interest (Jessica Skerritt) provide the show’s most memorable moment in the number “So Much in Common,” with Morris adding the lyric, “Now that ‘Queen Esther’ has met her match.” Bobbi Kotula establishes herself as the production’s versatile champion, distinctly depicting Kit’s mother and his victims.
Bill Forrester’s Roy Lichtenstein-inspired set supplies a seamless simplicity while shifting among Manhattan locations. Aaron Copp’s vibrant lighting design also lends to the flat, near-Pop Art caricatures. The show is set in the early ’60s of Mad Men and Goldman’s novel, which Melanie Taylor Burgess’ costumes impeccably convey. Her stunning outfits for Skerritt radiate Uptown elegance from head to toe. Seriously, her shoes sometimes distracted me from the playful murder mystery.
Given that serial killer Kit even plays one scene in drag (a stratagem Durst also employed to elude capture), can a stage-musical version of The Jinx be far behind?
stage@seattleweekly.com
VILLAGE THEATRE 303 Front St. N. (Issaquah), 425-392-2202. $35–$67. Runs Wed.–Sun.; see villagetheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends April 26. (Runs May 1–24 in Everett.)
