Theater Review: Private Eyes

by Shawn Parikh

The awesome thing about the Dallas theater scene is how much theater is offered by smaller companies. And most of it is not the crappy community theater (i.e. Waiting for Guffman), but quality scripts with great local talent. Rover Dramawerks is no exception because with Private Eyes, this small company was able to show how much potential they have to produce great work.

The stage at the Cox Building is very intimate, with the audience sitting just a few feet from the actors. However, the set was pretty big, with action occurring in every corner of the stage, sometimes the aisles. I enjoyed how they made use of the whole space, but once there was some distance between actors, it was hard to see what one character was doing or how they were reacting while the other was talking. If two actors were speaking across the room to each other, it was like watching a ping-pong match, and some moments were missed. But when there was an intimate scene, the actors nailed it and it was treat to see these moments right in front of you.

The show is about a man suspecting his wife is cheating on him, and how he obsesses on trying to prove it. The director, Lisa Devine, had made it a point to keep the story at a certain pace by not having blackouts. Devine handled the twists in the plot very well with perfect beat changes in lighting, sound, and acting. The rhythm of the first half was very intriguing since the plot was one step ahead of the audience. But during the second half, silence and pauses on stage were being taken graciously. This slowed down the pace of the show and took away from the plot line, making the action less intriguing.

But what lacked in plot was made up by the performances of the two lead actors. Rick Dalton, as suspecting husband Matthew, was able to blend his obsession with reality allowing the audience to really feel for him. We went on the roller coaster ride of emotions with him on whether or not his wife was having an affair. Julie Reinagel also brought great truth to her character as the wife, Lisa, and still was likable even though her character was somewhat the antagonist. But the final moments of the play, when Dalton and Reinagel have a powerful scene, they affirm how their chemistry carries the play. Cat Hundley as Cory, even though in a smaller role, had great moments and timing as well, leaving me wanting to see her more in the show.

This play had a decent plot but great lead actors. But, more importantly, it shows how Rover Dramawerks can keep upping the ante, as long as they keep their shows intimate with a small cast to match their space. This show only lasts until February 10, so go support this growing theater company.