Susan Granger’s review of “Tryst” (Promenade Theater)
Intrigue! Mystery! Excitement! Karoline Leach’s “Tryst” has it all.
Set in 1910 in Edwardian London, this psychological thriller revolves around handsome George Love (Maxwell Caulfield), a suave, self-confessed con-man, d Adelaide Pinchin (Amelia Campbell), a modest, meek spinster who makes hats in the back room of a millinery shop.
“I’m what you’d call a careful person. Organized,” he says. “I know what I’m after. I know what I want. And I get it. I live by my wits and my charm. And I do quite nicely.”
What George wants is Adelaide’s bank book and valuable brooch. What Adelaide wants is to feel cherished and loved. That’s George’s specialty. He’s flattered, wooed and wed many a lass. But when their courtship moves to a dilapidated Oceanside boarding house, there are suspenseful twists and turns as a power struggle unexpectedly erupts.
Playwright Karoline Leach has some slick surprises in store as her melodrama unfolds with both style and substance, although the surprising conclusion lacks the dramatic justification it deserves. Director Joe Brancato slyly reveals the poignant menace through subtle nuances that may pass at first glance.
David Korins has created an inventive set, while Alejo Vietti’s costumes, Jeff Nellis’s lighting and Johanna Doty’s sound evoke the place and period perfectly.
Neither Maxwell Caulfield nor Amelia Campbell has a hit TV series, although movie buffs may remember Caulfield’s warbling in “Grease 2” and “Empire Records.” Caulfield’s distractingly sculpted physique with six-pack abs is far too contemporary, but he’s acquired a solid theatrical background in England and, most recently, he’s been featured on the long-running BBC medical drama, “Casualty” and has been married to actress Juliet Mills for more than 25 years, while Campbell has racked up an impressive roster of theatrical credits around the country. Together, they ignite the stage at the Promenade Theater in one of the most provocative plays of the current theater season.