Anne-Marie Cusson and Ross Cowan begin their contest in Steven Dietz’s world premiere of Vineyard Place at Palm Beach Dramaworks (Photos by Jason Nuttle Photography)
By Bill Hirschman
Sometimes theater is just meant to entertain, to seduce, to lure. The world premiere of Vineland Place at Palm Beach Dramaworks has no profound message, but it offers an intriguing psychological thriller-mystery akin to Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.
Two protagonist/antagonists circle each other lunging and parrying slicing away secret inside secret inside secret with the goal of confirming a truth about two alleged suicides that resulted in the transfer of great wealth.
Popular prolific playwright Steven Dietz’s 40-plus work oeuvre has included other plays performed locally including Yankee Tavern and This Random World. An earlier version of Vineland Place was read during Dramaworks’ Perlberg Festival of New Plays in 2025.
The premise is that a young podcaster and would be writer is hired by the widow of a nationally-revered novelist whom he worshipped. The genius only finished one lauded book and jumped from his apartment window before finishing his overdue second. The woman wants the young man to ghost write the last few chapters based on notes the author left.
Of course, we quickly sense that nothing but nothing is who or what it seems as the two uncover or suggest facts, theories and speculations. Their prime virtue is obsession.
There is a Big Reveal halfway through that you might suss out several minutes before hand, but that is only the foundation for an even more intense melee. From then on, each announced “solution” to the mysteries only makes room for a deeper “solution” inside that “solution” inside that… Well, you get it. It’s reminiscent of those last ten pages of an Ellery Queen detective story.
Even if I wanted to give you spoilers, that parade was so intricate and detailed that this critic got lost, and just enjoyed the chaos. Dietz is a master at building a tightening noose and creating credible dialogue.
Crucial to pulling this off is veteran director J. Barry Lewis who seems able to land work in a dozen genres. He deftly paces scenes that otherwise might slip into that faux spookiness that is more laughable than unnerving.
Ross Cowan, new to the area, plays the self-described disciple, first as a young ambitious devotee, then as an increasingly arrogant, aggressive investigator of sorts.
Anne-Marie Cusson, a New York veteran who has been seen here in The Humans, Equus and Collected Stories, disappears inside the prickly calculating older woman with one of those “You can’t surprise me because I’ve seen life” smiles.
Anne Mundell’s scenic design and Paul Black’s lighting design create a an upscale Boston apartment living room, a strange dark environment painted in a hard-to-describe unicolor akin to Royal Blue. Across the walls and empty art frames, Adam J. Thompson splashes the dark set with white typewriter letters wildly floating creating an ominous omen.
If you enjoy a dark dive into a psychological chess game set inside a mystery, Vineland Place should be worth a drive-by.
Vineland Place through May 31 at Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis, West Palm Beach. 7:3 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday; 2 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2pm. Post-performance discussions follow Wednesday and Thursday matinees. Running time 85minutes, no intermission. Tickets $95. Student tickets are available for $15 with a valid K-12 or university/college ID, and anyone under 40 pays $40 (no additional fees) with a photo ID. Tickets for educators and active military are half price with proper ID (other restrictions apply). Tickets at box office in person or by phone (561) 514-4042 ext 2’), and online at palmbeachdramaworks.org.
A PaperStreet Web Design
