'The Mirror Crack'd' turns the Asolo Rep stage into a post-modern mirror maze

Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel, “The Mirror Crack'd," takes its title from a line in Lord Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott” — a poem about a cursed woman facing inescapable doom. Who’s the doomed woman in the play? That would be giving away the secret. The good news: Miss Marple is in town. If anyone can crack the case, she can.

The mystery transpires in a small English village in 1962. Miss Marple (Suzanne Grodner) has come home to recover from a leg injury — but rest eludes her. An American film company has transformed the surrounding countryside into a bustling movie location. 

Marina (Rebecca Watson) gets top billing. She’s a glamorous but emotionally fragile 40-something movie star. She arrives with her husband and director, Jason (Mark Benninghofen), along with a devoted entourage.

At an invitation-only soireé, Heather (Morgan Glynn) crashes the party. The young woman asks Marina, “Do you remember me?” She doesn’t. Moments later, Heather sips a cocktail and dies — poisoned. The twist? The drink was meant for the star. Officially or not, Miss Marple refuses to stay on the sidelines. The game is afoot.

Director Michael Donald Edwards serves up this whodunnit for Asolo Repertory Theatre with a post-modern vibe. Taking a cue from scenes in a literal film studio, he sets the entire play in a metaphorical film studio. Within this mind-space, the mystery unfolds in flashbacks and projections. 

“The Mirror Crack’d” becomes a funhouse mirror maze. You see distorted reflections of reality, but it’s all artifice. One step removed from the thing itself.

Actors change faces and places in this ambitious large-cast production. All shine brightly, but here are a few highlights …

Grodner’s Miss Marple is an unstoppable octogenarian sleuth. Her body’s seen better days, but her mind remains stiletto-sharp. While her leg’s badly sprained, her nephew’s in town and he can wheel her around. 

Said nephew is Chief Inspector Craddock (Billy Lyons), who’s officially investigating Heather’s murder. He doesn’t like it, but his aunt is always one step ahead of him. 

Watson’s Marina keeps her act together, barely. Her public persona is bubbly, but her heart is broken. Marina’s Hollywood mask hides a history of loss. Her character fights to keep it to herself — but her mask slips at times. 

Marina’s husband, Jason (Mark Benninghofen), tries to keep his wife happy — and tries too hard. Tasso Feldman’s Giuseppe is Marina’s trusted personal assistant. He’s even more overprotective — and not that trustworthy. 

Miss Marple’s closest friend, Dolly (Sylvia Day) is a downsized British aristocrat who had to sell the family estate. (It’s the setting of the film’s cocktail party.)

Robert Perdziola’s minimalist studio set is a jungle gym of lights and scaffolding. Depending on the scene, Aaron Rhyne’s projections turn it into a country estate, a village lane, a hotel lounge, a backstage corridor, a stark police station and a literal film studio in the universe of the play.

Amanda Zieve’s lighting and Connor Wang’s music and sound design add to the cinematic feel. Perdziola’s costumes evoke the dawn of the Swinging Sixties. The new, bright colors play off against the drab, monochrome outfits of the World War II generation. It’s visual shorthand for time’s relentless march.

Agatha Christie’s mysteries are fun intellectual puzzles. “The Mirror Crack’d” is one of them. But it’s more than a game of Clue. Its characters aren’t mere mystery tropes — they’re well-drawn character studies.

Wagstaff's adaptation (like Christie’s novel) is full of wry humor. But it’s a tragedy at heart. Edwards, retired producing artistic director of Asolo Rep, takes a post-modern approach that goes straight to the story’s wounded heart. Christie’s story feels as new as ever. As to her lead character …

Miss Marple first appeared in 1927. Christie’s sleuth was a 60-something spinster at birth. Four decades later, the character’s fanatical fans wouldn’t let her retire, let alone die. (Arthur Conan Doyle faced a similar fate with Sherlock Holmes.) 

By 1962, Miss Marple would have been at least 95. She’s sharp-witted and spry — but still not up to chasing suspects through alleys and over rooftops. 

So, how do you plausibly put Miss Marple on the case? Christie solved the problem with a sprained ankle and a dutiful nephew. Wagstaff’s adaptation didn’t change that. For good measure, the playwright dialed back Miss Marple’s age to a youthful 80.

Point of fact: Miss Marple will be 100 years old in 2027.

She’s alive and well in this inventive Asolo Rep production.