There's a line in the first act of "The Bad Seed" at Ferndale's Ringwald Theatre that pretty much sums up the entire production.
Trying to ferret out the truth behind her eight-year-old son's sudden, bizarre death while on a school picnic, a tipsy Mrs. Daigle confronts the mother of the last child to see her son alive. "There's something funny about the whole thing," she barks. And there is – from start to finish – despite the fact that Maxwell Anderson's 1954 long-running horror/thriller wasn't meant to be humorous. But in the hands of director Joe Bailey and his fine cast, the disturbing story of a manipulative and psychopathic young murderer has been transformed into a campy, gender-bent and laugh-filled night of theater that's not to be missed.
The bulk of Anderson's script remains intact. Christine Penmark (Jamie Warrow) becomes alarmed when her smart, precocious and seemingly perfect eight-year-old girl shows no remorse over the shocking demise of her classmate, Claude Daigle. But when Christine discovers a missing (but coveted) award Claude recently won among daughter Rhoda's (Joe Plambeck) belongings, she becomes alarmed. Her suspicions are confirmed when she catches Rhoda attempting to destroy the evidence of her crime, which leads to yet ANOTHER murder – that of maintenance man Leroy (Jon Ager), who goes up in flames after figuring out Rhoda's secret. But who's REALLY to blame for Rhoda's crime spree – and what do Christine's strange dreams have to do with the answer?
Although audiences were chilled by Anderson's psychoanalytic drama, director Bailey and his actors have great fun with it – especially with the language, which Anderson would never dream of using back in the squeaky-clean, anti-commie days of the 1950s. But the updated, spicy dialog work well here – and often to great effect.
However, placing the story in the mid-70s rather than its original time frame adds little – except to make us realize just how tacky some of our clothes really were back then.
The production's greatest asset, however, is Bailey's strong cast.
REVIEW:
'The Bad Seed'
Who Wants Cake Theatre, The Ringwald Theatre, 22742 Woodward Ave., Ferndale. Fri.-Mon. through March 16. Tickets: $15-$20. For information: 248-545-5545 or http://www.whowantscaketheatre.com
