A rich old lady
with a mission. Two strangers. On the make? On the take? Or are they just good
Samaritans? THE FAKUS: A NOIR (at the BCA thru Oct. 6th) isn’t
really a whodunit as much as a who’s-doing-it-to-whom. Playwright Joe Byers
applies turnabout fair play to the classic film noir scenario, muscling in on
the confidence game with an out and out twist and lots of surprises.
Mum’s the word
on the rest of the plot except to say that director Joe Antoun and the
Centastage company cover all the angles in this stylish repurposing of the
genre. Crackerjack performances and solid production values give THE FAKUS an
authentic “mystery” feel, right down to the streetlamp and those ever present
fedoras.
Bobbie Steinbach
gives a raucous performance as the Catholic dowager in need of help to
distribute her fortune to “pagan babies.” Paul Melendy’s entertaining swagger
is surpassed only by his gymnastics as the “better menswear” mogul. Craig
Mathers is yin to Melendy’s yang as the temporarily down on his luck aluminum
salesman. Byers gets lots of laughs from the religious fervor they all muster
to serve “the Lord.” Of course, nothing is what it seems to be. The delight is
in the discovery…or is it the devil that’s in the details!
