Ryan Landry’s “M”

Play
by Ryan Landry

With Ellen Adair (The Woman), Eva Jean Chapuran (Little Girl), Ava Rose Cooke (Little Girl), Larry Coen (The Pig and others), David Drake (Fritz and others), Laura Latreille (Schlitz and others), Karen MacDonald (M), Paul Melendy (The Man), Samantha Richert (Olga and others)

Tom Stoppard’s early classic comedy thriller, The Real Inspector Hound (1962), played off the roles of actors on a stage against the roles of critics in the audience in a wittily interactive way, cooking up an entertaining mix of murders and mysteries that broke through the edges of expected boundaries.

Somewhat later, in his film The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Woody Allen raised the curtain between actor and audience by having the star of a film jump out of the screen and start a romance with a lonely devoted movie attendee yielding a romantically metaphysical appeal.

The current production aims at something similar, with constant references to plays and playwrights, not letting the audience forget for half a second that they are at a play and that the characters on stage and the author who has written them are supremely aware of that as well.

Some of the narrative of the original Fritz Lang film is present, but it is merged, in Ryan Landry’s narrative improvisations, with an unexpected romance that embellishes upon the original to create a curious mix with the embedded thriller – a bit like butterscotch on curry – perhaps tempting to some tastebuds.

But whatever narrative is present, it takes a back seat to the rather determined effort to remind the audience that it is watching a play.

Karen MacDonald, a long-time member of the resident company at the American Repertory Theatre, does a creditable job here as M, the character Peter Lorre made famous in the film. Since the ART’s changeover under the new artistic director, Diane Paulus, several years ago, MacDonald has been appearing in productions of numerous theatres around town, spreading the wealth of her talents. Last season, at the Lyric Stage, she gave an earthy and moving performance in Superior Donuts, and earlier this season, a notable performance in the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of Good People.

There is quite a bit of stimulating stagecraft in this production, colorful and lively. If the self-referential narrative does not grab you, the colors, lights and costumes well might.

For those deeply into self-referential contemplations and not sated by the current production, ponder the subtleties of the eponymous paradox made famous by the great philosopher Bertrand Russell: “This sentence is false.”. If that bakes your cake, then consider reading up on his explanation, his so-called theory of types, to get his approach to untangling it.

– BADMan