By Natasha Baldin
If there’s one thing we can take away from gruesome stories about serial killers, it’s that they often exist right under our noses. Ottawa Little Theatre’s production of Love From a Stranger is proof that everyone has their secrets.
Scene from Love From a Stranger. Photo: Maria Vartanova.
Directed by Sarah Hearn, no detail went unplanned by the cast and crew to bring this captivating and bone-chilling story to life. Just when the armchair detectives in the audience thought they had solved the mystery, a surprise twist revealed that nothing was as it seemed.
Written by Frank Vosper and based on Agatha Christie’s short story Philomel Cottage and play The Stranger, Love From A Stranger transports audiences to 1936 London as Cecily Harrington prepares to settle down with her fiancé, Nigel. But Cecily craves adventure, travel, and excitement beyond what her new life is shaping up to be.
Scene from Love From a Stranger. Photo: Maria Vartanova.
As the adventurous and spontaneous Bruce Lovell walks into her flat, Cecily falls head over heels with this stranger with an American accent and tales from his travels. Within weeks, they marry and settle into a remote country cottage. But as Bruce’s health declines and his activities become more secretive, Cecily realizes there’s more to her husband than meets the eye.
Complete with impeccable British accents, witty line delivery, and cohesive character dynamics, the cast walked a perfect line between humour, romance, and darkness to deliver an unforgettable evening.
In the role of Cecily, Karine Charland captured the essence of a young woman escaping the bounds of tradition. After settling in with Bruce, her meek and innocent demeanour had the audience convinced she was oblivious to her husband’s secrets, concealing her cunning intelligence until the very end.
Scene from Love From a Stranger. Photo: Maria Vartanova.
Playing Bruce, Dan DeMarbre masterfully portrayed his character’s complex transition from the bubbly, adventurous young man that captured Cecily’s heart into an ill-tempered recluse riddled with secrets. Toward the end, DeMarbre physically carried his character’s secrets with slow, calculated movements and a heightened temper, making the role of villain all too plausible.
Ann Scholberg, in the role of the witty and traditional Auntie Loo-Loo, enlivened every scene she was part of with her witty comedic timing. Her flawless British accent, complete with the traditional English drawl, further accentuated the humour as she playfully criticized Cecily’s life choices.
Scene from Love From a Stranger. Photo: Maria Vartanova.
The set, designed by David Magladry, brought the play’s 1930s setting to life with meticulous attention to detail. As the play transitioned from Cecily’s flat to the country cottage, the set transformed to encapsulate every element of the rustic, remote cottage, with antique furniture, rustic wallpaper, and plants draping down from outside the windows.
The character depth, mounting suspense and chilling atmosphere were all executed to perfection, making it hard to find flaws in Ottawa Little Theatre’s production of Love From A Stranger.
Staying true to Christie’s signature canon, expect the unexpected.
Ottawa Little Theatre’s Love From A Stranger runs until Nov. 11 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets are available online at ottawalittletheatre.com or over the phone at 613-233-8948.
