‘Bad Seed’ still chills at the Trilogy

Tom Titus

It’s been nearly a half century since little Patty McCormack

chilled the blood of Broadway and movie audiences as the charming

8-year-old murderess in “The Bad Seed,” but this vehicle never seems

to run out of steam when it comes to electrifying its viewers.

In a hauntingly effective revival of Maxwell Anderson’s play

(which he based on William March’s novel), Costa Mesa’s Trilogy

Playhouse is presenting this well-known, but still somewhat

terrifying, story for a new generation of audiences.

The idea that a little girl could inherit, from her murderess

grandmother, the genes that would enable her to kill without

conscience seems somewhat specious today. But “The Bad Seed” occurs

in the 1950s, when heredity vs. environment was a more viable issue.

Director Alicia Butler has fashioned a generally compelling

production, anchored by two young ladies who take turns in the role

of that perfect little pigtailed angel, Rhoda Penmark. At Sunday’s

performance, Robyn Mack smiled and curtseyed her way through the part

of the willful and lethal character with a marvelous blend of

cuteness and savagery. Allison Aoun will appear as Rhoda in other

performances.

Sharon Simonian delivers the performance of her career at the

Trilogy as Rhoda’s distraught mother, who learns the secret of her

own origin at a time when her daughter’s behavior alerts her to the

possibility that murderous traits may be passed down through the

generations. Simonian skillfully projects a maternal warmth measured

by the knowledge that she has, in effect, created a monster, and

faces her awful choice with steely resolve.

The Penmarks’ chatty landlady, nicely acted by Suzy Thatcher,

injects a bit of fluttery comic relief into the production. Thatcher

manages to usurp most of her scenes by the force of her personality.

James Mulligan adds a darker quality as the ominously half-witted

janitor Leroy, who crosses the young felon once too often.

Accelerated dialogue, particularly in a Southern setting, trips up

a pair of potentially well-targeted performances. Tal Feingold allows

her swift pacing to compromise her character of a dead boy’s drunken

mother, while Melody Patterson’s tart schoolteacher blends an overly

fast tempo with a monotone delivery to neutralize her brief effect.

James Manley Green richly interprets the role of Simonian’s

journalist father, well-versed in the family’s closeted skeleton, and

Tom Moss is a spirited mystery writer. George Pelham adds a folksy

twang to the part of Thatcher’s bachelor brother, while Tony Sanchez

does fine double duty as the husbands of both Simonian and Feingold

(heavily bearded for the latter assignment).

Mulligan’s set design is an attractive 1950s model, but the

playhouse encounters some problems in the area of lighting, where

several dead spots leave actors’ faces in shadows. Cindy Simonian’s

musical background sets an eerie tone, blending the notes from

Rhoda’s piano piece (“Au Claire de la Lune”) into the theme.

The 1956 movie version of “The Bad Seed” (even with its contrived

Hollywood ending) was a shocker for its time, and Anderson’s play

continues, into the 21st century, to unsettle its audiences,

especially those viewing the story for the first time. The Trilogy

Playhouse continues this tradition quite nicely.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His

reviews appear Thursdays and Saturdays.