Serial slashings at the Ancon Theater

culture

The cast: (standing, left to right, back row): Ron Leggiere (producer), Irving Becerra, Viveca Pinzón, Jeanne-Marie Leggiere (director), Aquilino Arias, Yamile Lydna; (seated, left to right): Maria Theoktisto, Rita Banús, Rosario Barrera and Freddie Maduro. Missing: Francisco Frauca

The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940

a review by Eric Jackson

Murder comedy?

It works.

This latest production by Panama's venerable English-language community theater group is performed mainly by people who speak English as a second language, some of them affecting English with Irish or German accents, some of these intended to be fake (as in, for example a psychopathic Nazi killer pretending to be something other than the German fiend that he is).

Let me not, however, go much further in this vein, lest I give away the convoluted plot.

One of the unfortunate things about this play is that it's set in the United States, where they don't give accomplished serial killers titles of nobility. Pull this sort of behavior enough in England and they'll start calling you "The Ripper." (Sloice! Chop!) Seems like Americans are a lot more jaded about violent crime.

I caught the show on the American Embassy's special sponsored night, at which precious few diplomats showed their faces. Too bad. It was a fun time.

The clearly best performance in this show is by Rita Banús, who plays the obliviously drunken songwriter.

THEATRE GUILD OF ANCON
October 24 & 25 at 8 PM
Donation: $10

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