Husband, lover try to outsmart each other
It’s a play about two guys trying to outsmart each other. One is the husband. The other is his wife’s lover.
Mineral Area College Theater Instructor Rick Giles said “Sleuth” is the perfect Valentine’s Day show if you are in a homicidal relationship. Or maybe if you have a sense of humor.
Sleuth will take the MAC Theatre stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m. Reserved tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for MAC students/seniors. Tickets are available at the book store by calling 573-518-2106.
Giles portrays Andrew, the husband, who is the older, wealthier man who writes detective novels and is addicted to games. The part was originally given to another actor. Giles said there was a conflict which made it virtually impossible for the actor to do the show.
Twelve days before the show, Giles stepped into the role. “It’s fun for me to see how fast I can get my lines down,” he said.
The wife’s lover, Milo, is played by Tony Caruthers of Farmington, a second-year MAC student who is majoring in theater.
Giles said the play is a cat and mouse game with two guys trying to outsmart each other. Andrew invites his wife’s lover over with a proposition and things go from there.
“… Things go horribly wrong for one of them,” he said. “… Or did they?”
He said there are a lot of bad jokes and people getting punched in the nose. The play is set in an English mansion.
Caruthers said it is a very fun, suspenseful play. It’s a play where you have to think.
“It’s one of the most diverse characters I’ve had to play,” he said.
Chuck Gallaher, a Belleview elementary school teacher who has appeared in many MAC plays, is the director and he also designed the set. This summer, he plans to start working on his Master’s degree at Lindenwood University.
The audience for Sleuth will be the first to watch a play in the newly-remodeled theater. There’s new carpet, seats, sound system and lighting. There’s also railings and lights for the stairs.
“It looks great,” Giles said.
Teresa Ressel is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 179 or at tressel@dailyjournalonline.com.
