Reviewed by Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
For the entire month of June, Theatre Unleashed is presenting a late-night, weekly series of original, dime-store, pulp-magazine styled, mysteries and thrillers.
As episodics go, it’s pretty fun. A bit in the tradition of former Sacred Fools Late Night Serial Killers, DIME STORE DETECTIVE STORIES highlights four installments of three unique, noir, horror-comedies, featuring:
Marlowe, Marlot & Mahrloh
Written by Jaime Robledo, Directed by Ben Rock
A byzantine mystery on both sides of the border with twists and turns, bullets and broads, and everything you could ever want in four serialized ten-minute episodes.
The Second Good Bye
Written by Joe Luis Cedillo, Directed by Travys Santos Gatz
All Private Eye Free Fernandez wants out of life is for once to be the guy that gets the money and the hot gal, Luna Luna. To win her heart, he’d have to overcome her sadistic boyfriend, evade the crosshairs of her violent crime boss, and possibly go against his own blood – too much trouble for his liking. But when a gangland double-cross goes wrong and the bodies start to fall, Free is forced to play a dangerous game of cat and mouse, puppets and puppet masters, or risk losing everything he cares about. Because when shit jumps off in the City of Angels, it only takes one wrong move to end up under a white sheet.
Rick Diamond and the Secret of the Green Covenant
Written by Gregory Crafts, Directed by Matt Ritchey
A mysterious package arrives on Valerie’s doorstep. Inside, a strange hand-carved idol bearing the visage of some unsettling inhuman… thing. What is this strange idol? Where did it come from? And why is she suddenly being followed? There’s only one person who can help her: Rick Diamond, a P.I. with a penchant for the strange and mysterious… and a few dark secrets of his own.
I chose to watch these virtually. But as a recommendation – just don’t. The vibe is there but almost everything else gets lost between the awkward camera angles, the lighting that just doesn’t translate online – faces completely disappear in the center stage spotlight, and geez, but some actors just cannot voice project on stage. So, there’s that.
There were some stand out performances that were clear as daylight, namely by stage veteran Tim Kopacz, whose abilities always exceed expectations, and generally the “Marlowe, Marlot and Mahrloh” cast. And the “Rick Diamond and The Secret of the Green Covenant” cast was incredibly sexy (yes, I said that!)
But, really, this kind of production simply needs to be experienced LIVE (I mean, it’s theater people!) to get all the juicy bits. And there’s quite a “squeeze” with all of them.
Recommended for a thrilling Saturday night. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been following each week. Every bit is a story within a story.
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