Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

When a young and seemingly innocent character mistakenly refers to the sound of raving crows as crowing ravens, there is-indeed-something "afoot." In fact, a good many things are not what they first seem to be in the sleight (not slight) of hand drama "The Death in the Juniper Grove," deftly written by Le Wilhelm, who also directs.

The plot of the play is centered on the reunion of three individuals (James, Maureen and Margaret) at the place where 30 years before one of their mutual friends (Eddie) had died. The four, who were 18 years old at the time of the tragedy, frequently got together in the grove situated on steep cliffs to picnic, share dreams of the future, and have romantic trysts. The spare set, designed by Lex Liang, consists of several platforms and hanging fabric which-along with a bit of imagination--conveys both the loveliness and the menace of the young people's special meeting place.

The "mystery" surrounding the death of the boyish, dream-filled Eddie develops with older actors playing three people whose lives were changed by a fateful day and four younger thespians playing long-ago goings-on at the juniper grove. The balance between the scenes from the past and the one taking place in the present is skillfully handled, revealing enticing snippets of relationships and motives, as well as what really might have happened. Along the way, Le Wilhelm also tempts the audience to reflect on themes ranging from the why and how of political spin to youthful dreams mutating into adult realizations to meanings of guilt and responsibility.

On the evening I attended, the program noted that Cast A would be performing, as a variation in actors had been scheduled for several future presentations. The early scenes with the younger set bordered on being stilted; but as the play progressed, they established credibility. The older versions-John Oak's likeable Jimmy, Nancy McDoniel's sophisticated Maureen and Joanie Schumacher's portentous Margaret-presented solid characterizations. Nevertheless, because of the lack of physical and behavioral similarities in the past and present players, for a while I did have some difficulty in sorting out who became whom.

Being presented at the hip, new 59E59 Theaters Complex, "The Death in the Juniper Grove" with its twists and turns and solid plot development can provide an extremely and engaging evening of theater.