Playwright: Emily Schwartz. At: Strange Tree Group at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave. Tickets: 773-598-8240 or www.strangetree.org; $25. Runs through: Nov. 17
Audiences who love whimsy and the macabre heavily blended together are strongly advised not miss Strange Tree Group's world premiere of Emily Schwartz's Funeral Wedding: The Alvin Play at Signal Ensemble Theatre. Schwartz also strings audiences along with the promise of a mystery to be unraveled, though by the end of the play, what's revealed might not be all that certain or pleasing to ponder.
Funeral Wedding: The Alvin Play is centered around the title character (Daniel Behrendt), a once promising doctoral student who has sequestered himself in his family's attic following his questionable involvement in the discovery of two twin girls (Kate Nawrocki and Amber Vaughn Robinson) who were found stabbed to death on a beach.
The Fisher family (that Alvin belongs to) was never popular in town, and in the time since the unsolved murder scandal, their reputation has floundered in the community. That is why the family is so keen to marry off Alvin's petulant sister, Anne (Delia Baseman), to the prominent Dr. Robert Elliot (Scott Cupper), Alvin's former friend.
Although Alvin is initially presented as an agoraphobic and overly medicated recluse (coming complete with an ever-present and symbolic vaudevillian played by Zachary Sigelko), it's eventually revealed how more maladjusted his parents truly are. We come to find out why the over-controlling and haughty mother Myrna (Jennifer Marschand) holds such a spell over the accommodating and seemingly not-so-bright father Sylvester (Ron Thomas).
Director Jess McLeod coaxes great comic and dramatic performances from her strong cast, who all rightfully play up all the quirkiness of their characters while also remaining grounded to all their sad and unfulfilled outcomes in life so far. Behrendt's Alvin is particularly good, showing off his character's debilitating eccentricity while also trying to be a voice of reason that most would prefer to ignore.
Once again, Strange Tree Group's creative team deserves kudos for its wonderfully creepy atmospherics, which stretches all the way from the lobby and adjoining hallway (decked out like a 19th-century family parlor) to the zigzagging attic set designed by Scott Davis this is spookily lit by lighting designer Becca Jeffords. In addition to playing Anne, Baseman has assembled a wonderful assortment of period costumes that help lock the play into its bygone era.
Where Funeral Wedding doesn't completely satisfy is what seems to be the ultimate revelation of the mystery, which deliberately leaves some loose ends dangling about. Although Schwartz probably didn't want to end everything so neatly and pat, the blossom of doubt that she leaves behind will probably leave audiences more unsettled than truly happy at the conclusion of a show that stylistically leans more on the whimsical side than truly serious.