Communicating Doors

Communicating doors are doors that are joined, often found in hotels between adjoining rooms. Both doors are locked in each room. Accessibility is available only when both doors are unlocked. Communicating Doors is a charming, amusing, excellent play from the pen of Alan Ayckbourn, brilliantly directed by Esther Emery, and the current hit at Cygnet Theater. The setting is an elegant hotel suite. The bedroom is off-stage, but an indication only of a wall to the bathroom reveals that it is well appointed, including a bidet. The lovely Poopay (Jessica John), is a working prostitute who calls herself a "Specialist Sexual Consultant," specializing in leather, whips and such. She has been hired by Julian (Manny Fernandes), a business partner of aging Reece (Tim West). Reece desires a little something extra in the final days of his life.

That little something extra is a witness to a confession of complicity in the murder of his two wives by Julian. It is Poopay's assignment to bring the document to a particular attorney. Julian finds out about it, and the plot thickens. First Poopay hides the document in the bidet. A scuffle ensues, she extracts the document, and escapes through the communicating door into a small space.

Okay, now for just a touch of sci-fi. The set goes dark, the door gyrates, and she exits into the same room. It is, however, twenty years in the past. Here she meets the second wife of Reece, Ruella (Sandy Campbell). Since both don't know what just happened, the situation is tense enough for Ruella to call in the hotel security man, Harold Palmer (Craig Huisenga), to rescue her from this raving intruder. Alas, some attempt at reason in an unreasonable situation prevails.

This time it is Ruella's turn to travel back in time twenty years. Here she meets Jessica (Brenda Dodge), Reece's first wife. She also meets her husband-to-be. Tim West cleans up well from a scraggly, dying old man to a forty-year-younger, put-upon newlywed. Hotel security guy Palmer again is called to action. Jessica, however, is somewhat intrigued by this older woman and her wild accusations. The communicating doors are used a bit more.

The events are charming, amusing, and totally Ayckbourn at his humorous best. For the film buff, there are several allusions to some Alfred Hitchcock masterpieces. Once accepting time travel, the progress of the plot is totally logical, with just a touch of the playwright's usual dark side.

Nick Fouch provides a classic set for his wife (and by this writing, a new mother), Esther Emery. Eric Lotze lighting is quite dramatic. M. Scott Grabau's sound, as usual, gives dimension to the production. Costume Designer Shulamit Nelson captures the three periods perfectly.

This was the San Diego premiere of Communicating Doors. Director Emery chose an excellent cast, and directs a production audiences will likely remember for quite some time. You'll just love the ending.