'Let the Games Begin' in Production of 'Sleuth'

What does a rich, successful mystery writer do when he discovers a lowly travel agent is having an affair with his wife? In Anthony Schaffer's Sleuth, playing Sep. 9-19 at the Theatre of Western Springs, the answer starts murky and only gets murkier as the audience are drawn into a rich drama of deception and one-upmanship. The Theatre's tagline: "let the games begin."

Andrew Wyke, the cuckolded writer, invites agent Milo Tindle to his Victorian home and tells him he is welcome to the shrewish woman—provided he can support her. Thus begins a plan to stage a robbery of Wyke's own home, which evolves into an intense life-or-death drama, part farcical, part horrifying, and endlessly suspenseful. (Check out the video for a preview of the show.)

"It's an exciting, surprising, and thrilling evening at the theater, mixed in with some comedy, and it leaves people talking on their way home," said director Kurt Naebig, who is in his first year as Theatre of Western Springs' artistic director. "As we all know, playing games with people's lives often turns out badly."

Although involving one of the smallest casts of any show ToWS has ever done, Sleuth is no simple production. There are silly costumes, extremely difficult makeup, British accents, gunshots and even an on-stage explosion. Most notably, the show involves physical combat and some intense stunt work.

For the fights and pratfalls, ToWS has brought in R&D choreography specialist Rick Gilbert, who boasts the inauspicious title of "violence designer." He shows the actors how to properly menace with a fireplace poker or take a brutal fall down a flight of stairs.

Despite that title, Gilbert needs to convey subtle nuance as well.

"A lot of the choreography needs to do two things," Gilbert said of the mystery. "It needs to tell the story that you want the audience to think is happening, and at the same time, later on… they need to be able to realize, 'oh yes, it also worked that way.'"

Still, the more dramatic stunts take their toll.

"Advil is my friend right now," laughed Greg Maurer of Romeoville, who plays Milo Tindle. "This is the first show where I've ever really done stunt work… The physical demands of the role have been a bit eye-opening to me."

Maurer is a veteran of ToWS, having performed with the theater since 1984, his major roles including Sgt. Trotter in The Mousetrap, Norman in The Boys Next Door and the sinister Caliban in The Tempest. His co-star, Craig Mahlstedt of Burr Ridge (playing Andrew Wyke,) has been with the theater since 1997, having also played Orgon in Tartuffe and Robert in Proof.

With such a small cast—the playbook lists only five characters—Maurer and Mahlstedt have a Herculean number of lines apiece.

"It's like trying to memorize the New Testament," said Mahlstedt. "It's either the largest or the second largest role I've ever had, and coming at my age, it's a challenge."

And for all the action in the drama, it's the characterization and interplay that ultimately lie at the center of the story.

"I told my wife when I read the play, I think [Wyke] is a very successful failure," Mahlstedt said about his character. "He's done very well in his craft, but he's been a pretty big failure socially… he's very infatuated with himself, very failed and flawed, a charming rascal at best."

"It's very interesting how the relationship develops between Milo and Andrew as it goes along," adds Maurer. "You come into a situation like that, you're not comfortable. And he's very friendly, and you get a lot of building of the relationship, and then all of this chaos ensues."

Perhaps the overall tone of the production was best summed up by ToWS managing director Bill Hammack: "These are a couple of guys who are into game-playing… and with games you never know; what you see isn't always what you get."

Sleuth runs for 10 performances between Sep. 9-19. For tickets, please visit theatrewesternsprings.com.