Review: Twists And Turns Make 'Sleuth" A Stage Treat

Even before the production begins, the staging of the California Conservatory Theatre's production of "Sleuth" pulls the audience into a performance that is packed with surprise and delight.

The richly appointed set looks and feels like a living room, right down to the real fish tank and the crossed swords above the hearth.

Indeed, it very quickly becomes the the lair of Andrew Wyke, the fictional mystery writer whose life and imagination the audience has entered.

The self-important Wyke takes pride in his eccentricities and rests comfortably upon the laurels of a long-career as a mystery writer.

Wyke is well-played by veteran Bay Area actor Julian Lopez-Morillas who manifests both the eriudition and the bombast that the role demands.

So self-assured does Wyke seem that we accept it when he entertains house guest Milo Tindle, a much younger man who, we learn, has been having an affair with the author's wife.

But affair is too cheap a word for the passion Tindle feels, perhaps, because of his Italian heritage -- a class distinction that seems to irk Wyke more than being cuckolded.

A deft performance by actor Stephen Muterspaugh takes Tindle from the naive lover to a surprising epiphany.

The two act play has been pleasing audiences since 1970 when it debuted on Broadway. Adapted for film in 1972 and 2007, "Sleuth" is entertaining but not avant garde.

In fact it's just the sort of production that Richard Vetterli hopes will please current season ticket holders while attracting new patrons.

Kudos to director Ken Sonkin, stage manager Joseph Amicangelo and assistant Jillian Kameson and costume coordinator Diane Dahms. Ric Koller rates a special shout out for set construction.

The play runs through November 27th. For times, prices and performance dates visit the CCT website.

(Attention live performance fans: there are so many wonderful shows and events in San Leandro and this editor can't possibly cover them all. Would you like to blog about the local arts? Or take on one genre? Or one theater? It's easy to get started. Interested? Please email tom.abate@patch.com.)