SILVER SCREEN SLAYER

By Christopher Soden
The Examiner

Rating: Four Stars

Silver Screen Slayer, a spoof and homage to the Film Noir Genre of detective mysteries, is set in the Hollywood of 1939, where private sleuth Johnny Tewtones is interviewing a blonde, voluptuous client, Vivian Troubble. Vivian is only the latest in a line of starlets who have been subsequently murdered after being cast in the title role of Mata Hari's Revenge. She's reasonably concerned about her own demise, so our hero is only too glad to take on this perilous case. He heads out for the movie set where he encounters a posse of five directors, another dazzling actress named Jessica Danger, her sinister co-star Rhett Herring, and a deliciously harried Film Director. Assisted by police detective O'Hara and secretary Kitty Kissinger, he will track down the killer, while grappling with spies, tumultuous romance, and the challenges of cross-dressing.

If we count films (Murder By Death, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, Clue) television comedy sketches and full blown productions such as the Black and White Shows staged at The Pegasus, Noir satire could almost be a genre unto itself. Making it happen successfully, though, can be challenging, because the tone and style of the actual classics like : Detour, Sorry, Wrong Number, The Maltese Falcon seem so campy and overblown by today's standards, that they almost mock themselves. The best humor (as we've all heard before) may look easy, but it's delicate as a chemical reaction. Even when the dialogue seems preposterous and the gags inane, there's a fluid quality to the sharpest comedy that makes it feel inevitable and intuitive.

Local playwright Matthew Edwards (author of the impressive Written in Time) has some splendid, original ideas: a detective so submerged in gumshoe solioquy he fails to notice another murder (or that the others characters can hear him) five producers that create spontaneous vaudeville, drag so bad it wouldn't fool Mr. Magoo. Edwards dabbles in some risque' quips : the Jewish hierarchy of the Hollywood Studio System, the supposedly gay covert behavior of one producer in particular, indulging in the dodgy zeitgeist of the 30's. There's a lovely, relaxed, playful quality to Silver Screen Slayer that gives the players lots of room to emote and inject that loopy element of absurdity that stage comedy thrives on. It's grandly entertaining, and if there are a few times when it doesn't quite pop, or feels as if Edwards is only dipping his toe in the pool, no doubt these trivial concerns will work themselves out in the long run. Silver Screen Slayer is marvelous fun.

Camp Death Productions presents Silver Screen Slayer playing through June 22nd, 2014. The Margo Jones Theatre, Fair Park, 1121 First Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75201

By David Novinski
Theatre Jones

Silver Screen Slayer | Camp Death Productions | Margo Jones Theatre in the Magnolia Lounge

published Saturday, June 14, 2014

Tagline: Camp Death Productions slays the audience with the over-the-top and very funny Silver Screen Slayer at the Margo Jones Theater.

With a name like Silver Screen Slayer, could there be any question as to what kind of show is onstage at Margo Jones Theater?

Actually, it might surprise you.

Writer Matthew James Edwards whips all the fun of film noir into a pulpy parody romp. Director Carol M. Rice helps the cast load all the hamming and cheese that any theatrical sandwich could hold, pocket or otherwise. Brought to you by Camp Death Productions, it’s a labor of love and you’re invited, provided you suspend your disbelief at the door.

There’s something uniquely satisfying about how they are practicing the art of entertainment. Maybe it’s because they’re serving up exactly what the audience is hungry for. Like professional wrestling or a cosplay convention, everyone there is chasing the thrill. It’s a group agreement to have a particular fun and it’s limited only by your participation.

Even given that, this show is above the mark.

The genre chosen for their bent of spoof adulation is the film noir detective. Distilled for what’s delightful about those hat and coat-wearing knights of the night, you’ll get murder, molls and mayhem; sirens of the police and silver screen, and a detective, Johnny Tewtones (Gary Powers) who will sate your hunger for Harry Hunsacker, at least until the next black-and-white comedy comes around.

Powers anchors the evening with an equally franchise worthy character: a private eye who says his inner monologue out loud. Just when you think they’ve gone to the well one too many times with this bit, it becomes funny again. Valerie Horna plays his “girl Friday,” Kitty Kissinger, who holds a candle for the dimwitted, though dedicated, dick.

The case concerns the murders of any woman who gets cast as Mata Hari in the latest MGMGM production Mata Hari’s Revenge, including the woman who hires him, actress Vivian Troubble (Averie Bell). On a split screen set by designer Kaori Imai, the action alternates between his office, a dressing room and, by means of an old time oleo drop, the movie studio. There, a keystone kops chorus line of producers makes hay from every Hollywood cliché (a highlight of the evening). Actors Robby Dullnig, Bill Otstott, Louis Tarmichael, Dale G. Gutt, and Steve Roberts may be having the most fun you can have at a Dallas theater.

Next up for the role so prized that even Kitty auditioned is the dish of eye candy, Kristin Rea as Jessica Danger. Her co-star Rhett Herring (Gary Eoff) is suspiciously eager for her to take the ill-fated role. Johnny, staying close for Ms. Danger’s protection, makes Herring nervous and Kitty jealous. All the ingredients are there for a good time: a love triangle, secret agents, and, of course, murder. All the while, Johnny keeps blabbing his inner monologue for all to hear.

This may be a show aimed at a certain taste but could appeal to anyone with an open mind. Powers has the chops to make the iconic inner monologue material work. Meanwhile, the sincere cast is beguiling in their commitment to the silliness and director Carol M. Rice shapes the arc such that the audience is invested by the end regardless of their antics.

The whole thing is more fun than a bowl full of popcorn, thrown or otherwise.

But that’s a different theatre, entirely.

Silver Screen Slayer

Review By Jennifer Davis-Lam

Thursday June 12, 2014

The noir detective flick was good for about two things: highly stylized filmmaking that keeps Christopher Nolan in a permanent state of arousal; and liberal, unapologetic overuse of cliché. Chock full of classy dames and private dicks, the genre left a lasting impression on filmmaking, but man…if you took a shot every time some one used the term “cement coffin” or “ace”, you’d be hammered before the main character doffed his fedora for the first time.

Camp Death Productions lovingly parodies film-noir in Silver Screen Slayer, giving a wink and a nod to the detectives and damsels that spouted monologues and worked hard to pick up on clues that were practically beating them over the head. Be a part of the glamour, style and silliness during its run at the Magnolia Lounge, 1121 First Avenue, from June 12 until June 22. The show plays on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 to $25 and may be purchased at brownpapertickets.com/event/701375.. 
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Starts: June 12. Continues through June 22, 2014.