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"Death by Darkness': More character study than mystery

By Rich Copley rcopley@herald-leader.com

DANVILLE — Last summer, Danville playwright Elizabeth Orndorff found herself toe to toe with whodunit giants like Ed McBain and Columbo creator William Link.

And she killed 'em — literarily.

Orndorff walked away from the first International Mystery Writers' Festival in Owensboro last summer with the prize for not only best new playwright but also best new play for Death by Darkness.

So what was the mysterious secret weapon in Orndorff's slingshot to help her knock off the Goliaths?

Was it a shocker worthy of M. Night Shyamalan?

Was it a web woven like Agatha Christie?

Back home in Danville, ­Pioneer Playhouse stepped up as the first Central ­Kentucky theater to let us see the play and unravel the mystery. The answer is none of the above.

There are mysteries in Death by Darkness, which runs through Saturday, and even a genuine, ”Whoa! Didn't see that coming!“ Orndorff, writing her first mystery, deftly executed the puzzlelike structure that most mysteries have, where everything falls together in the end. But Death doesn't succeed in keeping us ­guessing as much as it makes us think about ourselves and the forces that mold us like water molds a cave.

Kentucky's own Mammoth Cave — it's ”Star Chamber,“ named because of its white gypsum crystals, specifically — is the setting for a journey in 1842.

A slave named Stephen Bishop first greets us, telling us about the cave in ­increasingly spiritual and foreboding tones:

”You don't know yourself until you've been in the dark for a period of time.

”No use in asking God because this here is my cave, and I'm the only one who knows the way out.“

Next time we see Stephen, he's leading a group of tourists into the cave, including a writer and his wife from England, a Harvard geology student and a local preacher and farmer. Or, that's who they say they are. During the next two hours, identities are revealed, lines are crossed, arguments ensue, a few other characters show up and someone ends up dead.

Whodunit isn't much of a mystery here. Whydunit is the bigger question among several that are raised, ­including ones about relationships and justice. In many ways, it's more of a character study than a mystery.

Pioneer Playhouse gives the show a good ride, particularly by bringing in John Nyrere Frazier to reprise his Mystery Fest award-winning turn as Stephen. There are also numerous strong performances from the playhouse's repertory ensemble. Director Lawrence Lesher gives the show a quick pace, never letting the action seem as stagnant as half a dozen people in a room in a cave could be.

Yes, tighter webs could have been woven, bigger surprises could have burst from the Mystery Festival stage last summer. But it's unlikely any of the other plays in Owensboro were as satisfying as Death by Darkness.