Behanding in Spokane, A

Director Kelly Wynn Woodland and her cast deserve the applauding hands of every Venice Theater audience that visits the rundown motel room of A Behanding in Spokane, where two con artists try to scam one-handed Carmichael. How he lost the hand he has searched for over decades is his story that pushes the couple to craft another they hope will let them escape his murderous revenge. After Carmichael (straight-faced Steven O’Dea, a poster boy for “morose”) rejects the withered black hand that the couple try to sell him, and he makes ready to shoot them, they concoct their own story: The real hand’s on a refrigerator at their home.

Chained to a radiator, African-American Toby and white, blue-haired Marilyn have a deadline Carmichael gave for his return or when a candle in a gas can will burn down to explode unless they can put it out somehow or get free. Toby (hilarious Kristofer Geddie), an old hand at fast talk with the f-word as punctuation, gets Marilyn (Alison Prouty, scared but not stiff) to throw shoes to put out the candle flame (unsuccessfully) and then with her feet pull in a suitcase. Its contents surprise and frighten further, though funnily.

Two escape alternatives present themselves. Logically, self-important receptionist Mervyn (Jeremy Guerrero, who remarkably nails down comic timing) should release the prisoners. Carmichael has handled him insultingly. But then he recalls an instance of Toby under-handing him in a deal for which he’s still indebted. The couple’s other possible escape is via Carmichael’s mother, who’s calling by a handy phone. Too bad Mervyn has his hand over fist grip on control of the outside line. And then Carmichael, who may or may not be a mama’s boy, returns!

Is Carmichael more concerned with the couple or his mother who fell out of a tree where a balloon was lodged? Which one -- or is it Mervyn? -- is causing him to defend his lost hand story? And what about the hand with “hate” on it that’s been pointed out in the room?

Martin McDonagh has put his finger firmly on the Irish bent for storytelling with A Behanding in Spokane, and Venice Theatre’s Stage II retells the bizarre tale as truly as perhaps only well staged fiction can.