Rupert Holmes “Accomplice,” now at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey, is the perfect piece for all of those smarty pants folks out there who figure everything out from the get-go. You know the ones–they claim they figured out “The Usual Suspects” in the first five minutes and had the number of “The Sixth Sense” in about the same amount of time. You’ll get tickets for a seat, but you’ll only need the edge of it. This is perfect dark chocolate joy–a piece for lovers of who-dun-it shows like “Sleuth” and “Murder on the Orient Express,” who don’t care whether the butler did it, but rather HOW.
Holmes has won Edgars and Tonys for his work in the theatre, remember “Mystery of Edwin Drood,” and if you don’t know Edgar, he’s the award given by the Mystery Writers of America. This play is full of dazzling razor-sharp wit that may take a moment or two to sink in–it’s only when you see the blood that you realize there’s been contact. It is superbly funny with visual puns as well as aural ones and there are surprises at every turn. Just when you think you know where you’re going, you’ll hear the Siri-voice in your head, “Recalculating,” and know that once again, you’re lost in the Moors and waiting for the fog to lift.
When you see this show, just be sure to keep the dénouement to yourself. That same joy you’ll feel in being clever should be experienced by all.
Brush up on your late 20th century historical references and special enjoyment will be had by devotees of British detective shows and humor. See “Accomplice” before it takes it on the lam February 4. Visit www.bickfordtheatre.org today!