We Owe It All to Agatha Christie: Something's Afoot at Taproot

Taproot Theatre's 35th anniversary season has reaffirmed their identity in the Seattle theatre community. With The Beams Are Creaking and Brownie Points they continued their interest in social and moral issues. With The Odyssey they reaffirmed their belief in the power of story to cross cultures and time and touch upon the universally human. And now, with Something's Afoot, they have reminded the community that they can be fundamentally silly.

Something's Afoot is a musical parody of the incredibly popular genre of murder mysteries, in particular Mary Roberts Rinehart and Agatha Christie, both of whom are name-dropped in one of the show's musical numbers. Even if one has never seen the show, everything about it is familiar instantly. Every character is a stereotype: the Cockney maid, the amateur detective, the lecherous old housekeeper, the army colonel who served in the Great War, et cetera. The plot is completely predictable and absolutely devoid of any meaning.

And that's a good thing.

American musical theater is at its finest when it displays a throwaway attitude toward its material. Even in the face of a Great Depression or anything else the universe throws at it, the musical responds by celebrating the élan vital of American optimism by thumbing its nose at everything that is supposedly serious or sacred. When a musical attempts to lecture an audience about the rights of the poor, the equality of workers and blah blah blah, it simply brings disaster on itself and gives the intelligent audience member a fine excuse to leave the theater fifteen minutes early to avoid traffic.

There is nothing remotely serious about Something's Afoot. It is completely disposable and for that reason completely charming. The musical numbers are clever and tuneful as always. Edd Key's musical direction solves most of the difficulties of the Taproot Theatre space with the innovation of having the orchestra in the cellar. Here his direction is well-served by the lovely voices of Natalie Anne Moe and Ian Lindsey, and the pure charisma of Ryan Childers, Jenny Cross, Dale Bowers and Tim Tully. This is a cast having a delightful time indulging in the absurdity of their roles and their joy flows easily over the footlights.

Director Scott Nolte has always had a wry sense of humor even in his most serious moments and Something's Afoot allows his wit a chance to run roughshod. With scenic designer Mark Lund's brilliant set he has the ideal arena to play around.

Something's Afoot provides Taproot Theatre with a simple, unpretentious crowd-pleaser for their audience. It is light entertainment in the best sense. Taproot are known as a theater of hope that values faith and creativity. But humor, too, is a sacred thing. To quote Erasumus, "What is all this life but a kind of comedy, wherein men walk up and down in one another's disguises and act their respective parts?" That Taproot have stayed their course for thirty-five years when other theaters have abandoned all hope should itself impress anyone. That they do so with distinction is an even greater achievement.