Karina Ferry, Rick Lyon-Vaiden, Laura Gifford, Lisa Walker, and Grant Chism. Photo by Tom Lauer.
The Vagabond Players present Interlock, a psychological drama written in 1958 by Ira Levin and directed by Roy Hammond, which explores at love, pride, manipulation and loyalty.
Interlock opened on Broadway on February 6, 1958 and closed February 8, 1958 for a total of 4 performances at the ANTA Playhouse. Basically, it was gone in a blink of an eye. Ira Levin is today best known for his long-running Broadway thriller Deathtrap and the novel Rosemary’s Baby.
Interlock has a cast of only 5 and one set, so there is a great reliance on dialog and actors, and the Vagabond Players’ cast and the production crew doesn’t let its audience down, delivering non-stop action and suspense. The setting is the music room of the Price mansion in Grammercy Park, New York City a few years after World War II. Hilde (Karina Ferry) is a German immigrant working as a personal assistant to Mrs. Price (played by Laura Gifford). Mrs. Price is an older woman who lost her husband years before in an accident that left her in a wheelchair. Since then she closed off many rooms in her large house, retaining only 2 housekeeping staff: a maid, Lucille (Lisa Walker) and a chauffer, Everett (Grant Chism).
Life in the house seems fine until Hilde brings her fiancée Paul, played by Rick Lyon-Vaiden, home to meet Mrs. Rice. Paul is a promising piano player who, before the war, lived in a big house with his very wealthy family in Germany and Hilde, a daughter of Paul’s family household staff, used to watch Paul play the piano from the garden. Now Paul is broke, clinging to his pride and his dreams of becoming a great piano player.
Lyon-Vaiden’s German accent never wavers, and every word spoken is clear and strong. Paul is the character who makes the largest transformation, and Lyon-Vaiden rises to the challenge brilliantly. Ferry’s Hilde also does a great job at maintaining her accent, and her character’s emotional journey is portrayed well.
…delivering non-stop action and suspense.
Laura Gifford as Mrs. Price drives much of the plot with her manipulation and fabrications. Her changes in her mood and character are subtle and well-crafted, and it is largely her acting choices that make the story so interesting and suspenseful. I wish I could say more, but I don’t want to spoil the experience for anyone.
The set, with life-sized portraits (painted by Maureen Lidard), deep green walls and antique furniture, is a character itself. Adding more to the realism is a large marble staircase winding its way up on the side of the stage. Roy Hammond also designed the set with the set construction crew listed as Maurice “Moe” Conn and Jay DeMarco.
After seeing Interlock, I wonder why it didn’t stay longer on Broadway. Maybe they needed this cast and director at Vagabond to make it work!
Advisory: Adult situations and herbal cigarette usage.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours with 2 intermissions.
Interlock runs through February 8, 2015 at The Vagabond Players, 806 S Broadway, Baltimore MD 21231. For tickets call 410-563-9135 or click here.
