The second
show of Walpole Footlighters 86th season is the
1983 drama, "Pack of Lies" by British writer, Hugh
Whitemore. Bob and Barbara Jackson are a nice
middle-aged English couple with their daughter,
Julie. Their best friends are a charming and
friendly Canadian couple named Kroger. All is
blissful in their world until a detective from
Scotland Yard asks to use their house as an
observation station to try and foil a Soviet spy
ring operating in the area. The Jackson
family becomes more and more put out as Scotland
Yard's demands on them increase. Suspicion mounts
when their best friends are suspected as being part
of the ring then they become more and more
frustrated and angry as the situation spirals
further and further out of their control. Finally
there are no excuses left and, feeling hurt and
betrayed, the Jacksons are really put to the test
when the detective asks them to help set a trap.
Should they betray their friends? They face an
excruciating moral choice between friendship and
duty. It is based on a real life spy scandal in
Britain in the 1960's. Director Frank Moffett chose
the best 8 people for the roles, keeping the
audience on the edge of their seats in anticipation
of what will happen. The show keeps you guessing to
the final moments.
Frank is aided
in his task by assistant director Dawn Labrie. He
and Dan Sheehan designed the
gorgeous Jackson home set. Stage manager Colleen
Lavery keeps things moving smoothly all night long.
Some of the characters narrate some of the scenes to
reveal what is happening. Leading the cast is
Michael Dornish and Cathy Larson as Bob and
Barbara Jackson. He plays an airplane designer who
is very easy going while his wife becomes more
unhinged as the show progresses. Cathy has an
outstanding and powerful moment of anguish in the
second act that is stunning. Peter and Helen Kroger
are played by Peter McIhinney and Martha Cavanaugh.
His character is intellectual and clumsy while she
is outgoing and effervescent. Martha livens up the
show during her scenes with her dynamic
characterization. Glenn Ryan is dynamite as
Detective Stewart with his enormous amounts of
dialogue as he explains the KGB activities. His
character annoys the Jacksons to no end. Their
daughter, Julie is beautifully played by Madeline
Phillips. She captures the teenage girl's behavior
wonderfully.
Rounding
out the cast is Sarah Rocca and Jes Maxfield as
Thelma and Sally. Betrayal, mistrust and broken
promises are all that is left of their former
friendship. The show has many twists and turns that
I can't reveal here. So for an intriguing evening of
drama, be sure to catch "Pack of Lies" at Walpole
Footlighters.
Walpole
Footlighters, 5 Scout Road, East Walpole,MA
