Review: 'Cliffhanger' at Phoenix Stage Company

Oakville, CT - Phoenix Stage Company continues their season with a comedy thriller entitled ‘Cliffhanger.’ The play written by James Yaffe nicely mingles suspense and humor with a cleverly plotted thriller containing some unexpected twists that ensue when a mild-manner philosophy professor is driven to apparent murder to protect his career. ‘Cliffhanger’ was a regional theatre success and later transferred to Broadway for an extended run.

I was invited to attend the final dress rehearsal with some other guests, including some cast members of Goshen Player’s ‘It Shoulda Been You.’ During intermission, I heard mention of the play ‘Deathtrap’ in their ranks. Ed Bassett directed the five person cast of 'Cliffhanger' with a close eye on the details and Amber Lynn Dunphy kept things running backstage as stage manager.

Tim Phillips plays Henry Lowenthal who, after a long tenure as an idealistic professor of philosophy at a small western college, is looking forward to being appointed to an endowed chair so he can continue to teach. His wife Polly, played to perfection by Helen Adams, wants to enjoy her golden years with her husband in honor and dignity.

Their plans are dashed when his successor, the vindictive and ruthlessly ambitious Edith Wilshire played by Kristin Moresi, arrives at their neat home to inform him that she is not recommending her former teacher for the chair. The usually gentle professor grabs a small bust of Socrates (ironically) and strikes the awful woman a fatal blow.

Henry and his wife plot a seemingly foolproof way to dispose of the body, but of course complications arise. A sinister young student Melvin McMullen is played with palpable strength and conviction by Torrington High School senior Justin Torres. The spoiled young Melvin, never without his motorbike helmet, wants his final philosophy grade changed, and he just so happened to have witnessed his professor’s violent action.

Add in a suspicious police lieutenant named Dave Devito, played with ease by the talented Chris Evans and you have all the ingredients for a series of suspenseful, unexpected and frequently funny developments in this winding story. It all leads to a denouement that caught me by surprise, although I half expected another twist to appear in the final moments.

All five members of this cast did fine work with their character, although Ms. Moresi did not have all that much time on the stage before she met her demise. I was most impressed with young Mr. Torres in his community theatre debut. He will appear as Usnavi in his high school production of ‘In the Heights’ in May; I am hoping for an invitation to review it and that it is not the same weekend as every other high school in the state. Mr. Phillips was in his element as the philosophy professor, complete with a sweater and he and Ms. Adams made a convincing couple entering their golden years.

The Phoenix Stage set was designed so that the audience could see the interior of a pantry with a door and the living room included a stereo that belonged to the director’s dad. The antenna on the brick landline phone suggested the eighties. Costumes were appropriate for every character.

The cast of CLIFFHANGER. Seated from left are Kristin Moresi and Helen Adams, and standing are Tim Phillips, Justin Torres and Chris Evans. Don't miss this show, opening February 10th and running through February 24th.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues and she posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theater Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417