PLAY REVIEW Murder 'mystery' lacks story line, has hilarious cast

The cast's comic timing succeeded where words failed.
YOUNGSTOWN -- What can you do with a play whose script seems to go nowhere, filled with long monologues and dialogues, little more than words strung together, with very little to grab the listener's attention?
The play is "That's an Irish Lulla-DIE," by Jan H. Kennedy, directed by J. E. Ballantyne, Jr., a dinner theater comedy playing at the Holiday Inn Metroplex in Liberty. It's a murder-mystery that takes place in Dublin on the eve of the peace talks in Ireland.
Some of the greatest comedies ever written were built around a war. BBC's "Allo, Allo," set in German-occupied France during WW II comes to mind, but the trick to making war comedies funny is to provide an unrelated agenda for the characters.
This play provided no agenda at all.
That's not to say there weren't laughs, and lots of them. And not just giggles and chortles, but some real guffaws, the kind that make your face hurt and your jaw tired after a prolonged period. Unfortunately, the humor didn't come from the script, but from the cast's sparkling and witty ad libs.
The night seemed to be a comedy of errors. Bar owner Darcy O'Grady, played by Brian H. Lee fell off the back of the stage, nearly pulling the backdrop along with him. Later he knocked over things on the bar, and eventually, one end of the bar, which was revealed to be propped up on milk crates, collapsed, and was unable to be uprighted, putting it at a 45 degree slant for the rest of the play. However, these provided some of the most hysterical moments of the evening.
Lee's shining talent to respond to these foibles, weaving them into the fabric of the play without missing a beat, left one wishing the cast would have broken from the script and just created more comedy.
Memorable moments
But the play did have some shining moments, mostly silly actions not connected to script.
Garry Clark, who first appeared as the Brit who was quickly murdered, was then rolled onto a hotel luggage carrier, only to reappear as Det. Kevin O'Flannery, the Columbo-type investigator, a fumbling, bumbling idiot of a cop, and a drunken one at that, who eventually solved the murder. His stinky sock scene had the audience roaring.
It was those little things, like Paddy blowing his nose in the tablecloth during the crying scene that saved the evening. Brandy Johanntges, who played Paddy's wife, Biddy, provided a bright energetic light that bubbled with enthusiasm, breaking through the stuck spots in the script.
Then there was the typical dinner theater interaction between cast and crowd, comedy created by poking fun at audience members. But the audience got its revenge on the "You Pick the Murderer" forms. The most witty responses were read at the end of the play, and one person who guessed the murderer correctly won a gift certificate.
All in all, the enthusiastic audience seemed to have an enjoyable evening. Different groups were seated together at big tables, giving everyone a great opportunity to socialize and meet new people.
So, what can be done to save this play?
Less script and more bloopers!
XThis play will be showing at the Holiday Inn Metroplex for the next three months. To make reservations or for more info, call (330) 759-0606.