OttFor criminal defence attorney Arthur Jamison, the liveliest courtroom is the one that exists inside his mind.
He pits himself against imagined prosecutors, playing out various hypothetical scenarios of how to form the most airtight alibi as he plots to kill his wife amid a rocky divorce.
Guilty Conscience, written by Richard Levinson and William Link, brings Arthur’s masterful-yet-dark psyche to life as various mental courtroom exchanges are played out on stage, as if immersed in a one-man chess game.
Soon, he realizes his plot for murder is not the only one.
Under the direction of Ian Gillies, Ottawa Little Theatre’s production of this mystery thriller was aptly riveting and passionate, despite suffering from minor scene-setting confusions within this fast-paced plot.
As the devious criminal defence attorney, Arthur, David McIntyre was brilliant and conniving. In a battle against himself as his mental conjurings continued to find flaws in his plans, he portrayed angsty frustration through a heightened tone and agitated movements.
In a powerful directorial choice, Gillies added nuance to the play’s gender dynamics by casting women in the prosecutor ensemble rather than men.
Dressed in Grecian robes, Susanna Doherty, Mylène Freeman and Judy McCormick questioned Arthur’s every move with humorous taunt and poise. Their firm voices dominated the stage to elevate Arthur’s guilty conscience, challenging his toxic masculine persona.
Melissa Raftis as Arthur’s wife, Louise, is initially helpless and completely oblivious to her husband’s plans. While carrying the weight of being trapped in the abusive marriage, Raftis naturally eases into a sinister character arc that reveals she’s countering Arthur’s schemes with plans of her own.
Though Raftis’s slight overacting distracted from the plot at times, this was understandable given her character’s often inorganic scripted lines, especially in the first act, which did not give her much to work with.
As Arthur’s mistress Jackie, Teresita Thorne brought a captivating and defiant stage presence, cleverly revealing her character was more implicated in Arthur and Louise’s vengeful plans than expected.
The plot rapidly intertwined scenes from the past, present and hypothetical, often causing confusion as the timeline stitched itself together. While small set details and costume changes served as timeline indicators, more stark visual cues and stronger scripting would have lessened the frequent confusion while situating each scene.
Lindsay Laviolette and Venetia Lawless’s beautiful living room set design was a visual masterpiece, complete with legal books, vibrant 70s furnishings and an ornate judge painting looming over the room. The slight stage elevation of Arthur’s office was a thoughtful blocking technique, with railings bounding Arthur on the stand during his imagined court appearances.
With plot twist after plot twist, there’s no dull moment in Ottawa Little Theatre’s Guilty Conscience. The play’s nuanced accounts of the violent manifestations of guilt and fracturing relationships will surely linger in the theatre long after the production is over.
Guilty Conscience is on at Ottawa Little Theatre until Nov. 16. Tickets are available here.
Featured image provided by Ottawa Little Theatre.
