THE CAT AND THE CANARY

JOHN WILLARD

BERKSHIRE THEATER FESTIVAL 2013

The 1922 whodunit THE CAT AND THE CANARY is the granddaddy of many tales of spirits and murder among near-strangers in a mysterious old house. Director Ethan Heard wanted to embrace the theatricality and camp that is so prevalent in some of THE CAT AND THE CANARY's descendents (CLUE, IRMA VEP, etc) while still scaring the pants off the audience. The design encompassed the entire Unicorn theater, centering on a room onstage. There was a chimney that soared heavenward, creepy taxidermy and primitive art perched on a high shelf. The balcony above was used as the offstage "upstairs hallway" with mysterious ancestral portraits. Brass chandeliers hung over the audience. The set was full of tricks: a rotating bookcase, sliding and rotating panels, a hidden drawer in the fireplace. The bedroom in Act II was achieved by changing out the bookcase for a bed, changing the furniture, rugs, and draperies, and rotating (a vista) upper panels with primitive masks on them. It was great fun.

Directed by Ethan Heard

Set Design: Reid Thompson

Costume Design: David Murin

Lighting Design: Shawn Boyle

Sound Design/Composition: Steve Brush

Photographs: Ethan Heard