Granite Throws its Soul into Communicating Doors

If there is one thing I love about community theater, it is the obvious heart and soul that go into each production, and Granite Theatre did not disappoint in that department. This company has a lot of heart, and it shows in their production of Communicating Doors by Alan Ayckbourn, running through April 9.

Communicating Doors is a comic thriller involving time travel between the years 1997 and 2037. The play takes place in a single suite of the Regal Hotel in London. The action opens in 2017 with dominatrix Poopay arriving at the hotel to give old, dying Reece one last thrill. As soon as they are alone, Reece makes clear that he does not want her sexual services, but he does need her to witness his signature on a confession. This sets in motion a series of time travel events that affect the lives of all of the characters.

Ayckbourn is a prolific English playwright and the script is very British, which causes problems for the actors in places. The accents are difficult to maintain, and certain words get lost in translation from British English to American ears. The actors clearly worked hard in rehearsal to learn their accents; audience members could easily distinguish each character’s class, which is not usually accomplished without a vocal coach. However, the hard work on accents slowed down the lines, which unfortunately threw off the comic timing. The pace of the production needs to speed up for the jokes to get the laughs they deserve.

Aside from accents slowing them down in places, the ladies in this show are absolutely charming. Sandy Simas Gaccione plays Poopay, the professional dominatrix who doesn’t love her job. Gaccione gives us a Poopay who is slightly bored and unhappy with her job, and who is delightfully engaging throughout. Jane Mandes earned some of the biggest laughs with her not-so-bright heiress, Jessica. Veronica Strickland commands the stage as the take-charge, intelligent Ruella. Mandes and Strickland have the added difficulty of playing two different ages. The time changes do not allow time for Strickland to change make-up or wigs, so she has to indicate her age with a quick costume change and body language. She beautifully manages the task, leaving the audience without a doubt as to which age she is playing in any given scene.

Keith Eugene Brayne is cast as Reece, the smarmy businessman who feels responsible for the murders of his two wives. Brayne plays three versions of Reece, and manages to hit the perfect level of oily, young husband and doting father by turns. Tom Streenburg’s murderous Julian was steely-eyed and deliberate; however, the casting was off on this one. Julian is referred to as being a hulk of a man several times in the script. Streenburg was not as intimidating as the references to Julian would have us believe, but he gave it his all and left the audience uncomfortable whenever he appeared.

The script also calls for a single set consisting of a posh hotel suite so unchanged over 40 years that characters are initially confused by the time travel events. Set designer David Jepson successfully accomplishes this by piecing together timeless furniture pieces in shades of beige. Twelve clocks were visible on the set, most hanging from the walls. It was an interesting choice, and clearly a nod to all of the time travel in the play. The clocks are never used or referenced, so the swinging pendulums behind the actors become slightly distracting at times. Luckily the actors are so engaging, those distractions are few and far between.

What does become distracting is the time between scenes. The time travel is indicated by a whooshing sound effect and red lights that I, at first, confused with emergency vehicles. The effect only goes on a few seconds, but once again slows down the pace. The actors go into a door, everything is paused for the time travel effect, and the actor then emerges from the door in a different year. If these were happening simultaneously, the pace would become riotously funny. As is, the effect gives the audience too much of a pause in what should be a running pace.

Overall, Communicating Doors is well worth the ticket price. The pace of the production keeps it from being the uproarious comedy that it could be, but the actors more than make up for it in the heart and soul they throw into their characters. It’s a feel-good, amusing show for an entertaining night out.

Communicating Doors runs through April 9 at The Granite Theatre in Westerly.  Tickets can be purchased through BrownPaperTickets.com or directly through the box office at 401-569-2341.