`Spider’s Web’ a delightfully humorous mystery

Theater review

Decorating Agatha Christie’s house must be a terrible bother. It requires doors that look like bookshelves that open via the candlestick on the wall, antique desks with secret drawers, a garden, plenty of brandy and, of course, a dead body or two. It’s that last element, however, that really sets the mood for Christie’s drawing-room whodunit, “Spider’s Web,” now playing through Aug. 5 at the Acadia Repertory Theater in Somesville.

The dead body plays a relatively small part in the show. It belongs to drug-trafficker Oliver Costello who, when alive, came to the Hailsham-Browns’ home at Cobblestone Court looking for a mysterious piece of paper that could incriminate him. When searching for this evidence, he is killed in the dark by someone who disappears through the secret bookshelf door. For the rest of the play, Costello’s dead body just kind of hangs around, sometimes behind the secret door, sometimes behind the couch, sometimes in the upstairs guest room.

Although the dead body is important to the play, the more interesting and lively role belongs to Clarissa, one of Christie’s charming, witty heroines who has an absurd dedication to tomfoolery. If you think it was difficult keeping up with the dead body, wait till you try to keep up with the shenanigans of this trickster.

Clarissa is the young wife of Henry Hailsham-Brown, who lives in the country with his daughter, Pippa. For Clarissa, the only exciting form of divertissement is playing practical jokes on her house guests. Her discovery of the dead body and the stories she creates to protect her stepdaughter set the stage for this delightfully humorous detective story.

Under the direction of J. Robert Dietz, who also directed the 1958 American premiere of “Spider’s Web,” the Acadia Rep cast does a fine job at keeping the show lively and suspenseful. This is not an easy task considering that the production lasts nearly three hours and takes place in an unbearably hot theater. (But to be fair, the theater was hot because the performance was sold out and that many live bodies are bound to generate some extra heat.)

Although most of the show has the flavor of an English country home, the affected British accents that the performers adopt are a bit of a struggle to decipher at times, albeit absolutely necessary for a Christie plot. Laura Lewis as Clarissa pulls it off quite satisfactorily, however, keeping it light and depending more on inflection and intonation for effect. Her portrayal is, in fact, one of the more delightful ones of the show. She delivers a solid characterization and is up for the task of a lead performance.

It’s a special treat to see Acadia Rep artistic directors Ken Stack (as Sir Rowland Delahaye) and John Erickson (as Inspector Lord) in performance, too. They prove that their skills are as viable on stage as they are back stage.

As the irascible Hugo Birch, Brian Desmond is funny and entertaining. Mark Dean, Jenna Moskowitz, Owen Orr, Darren Campbell and Chad Bouchard also offer good performances. Dee Pelletier makes the audience laugh with her portrayal of Mildred Peakes, the gardener, and Alan Gallant, as Henry has only a few scenes which he manages proficiently.

“Spider’s Web” will be performed at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday July 27-Aug. 5 and 2 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Acadia Repertory Theater in Somesville. For tickets, call 244-7260.