‘Red Herring’: ‘50s murder, espionage – and comedy

Directed by Tom Field

Cast:   Dave Allen,  Don Gray, Anna Kendall,  Kathryn King, Kathleen Kirby, Alina Abraham, Scott Stearns, and Greg Villone.

http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140522/FEATURES01/705229989

Published May 22, 2014 in the Rutland Herald ‘Red Herring’: ‘50s murder, espionage – and comedy By Janelle Faignant Staff Writer André, a Russian fisherman, sits in a bar drinking vodka from a spoon. A detective asks him why he’s drinking from a spoon. “When I use a fork it spills in my lap,” he says. Comedy, murder, espionage and love in 1952 Boston sets the stage for “Red Herring,” playwright Michael Hollinger’s take on the hard-boiled detectives of film noir, set against the backdrop of vintage radio jingles, “I Love Lucy” and the McCarthy era. “Red Herring” is the Springfield Community Players’ first show of 2014, opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Players’ Studio. “It spoofs Cold War attitudes of the 1950s,” director Tom Field said. “And it’s a murder mystery as well.” The fast-paced show has a cast of eight actors who play 18 different characters in a total of 24 scenes, which Field said was the most challenging part of the show – it meant eight weeks of rehearsals. “It’s a very funny show,” Field said. “There are some very strange characters in it – they take themselves very seriously but they do some very odd things.” But ultimately the show is about love, and a reluctance to marry. “You two belong together,” one character says. “You’re broke in all the same places.” “I’d been married myself for eight or nine years at that point,” Hollinger said, “and realized I had things I wanted to explore about the institution, and that crime, nuclear espionage and 1950s America might provide useful metaphors for looking at marriage.”

Hollinger wrote the play’s love stories, murder mystery and nuclear espionage plot in an effort to “(explore) how the Communist fears (McCarthy) cultivated parallel the jealousy and paranoia we can experience when love becomes possessive.” Field said the fun in directing the show has been “having the vision of what you want it to be, and then seeing that come to life. And hearing the audience laugh.” Springfield Community Players The Springfield Community Players will kick off the 2014 season with “Red Herring,” a comedy by Michael Hollinger, opening Friday at the Players’ Studio, South Street in Springfield. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through May 31. Tickets are $14-$12; call 802-885-4098.