Ridgedale Players present ‘Anatomy of a Murder’

TROY — A courtroom drama set in 1950s Michigan will get the theatrical treatment by the Ridgedale Players this month.

The troupe will present its next play, “Anatomy of a Murder,” at its community theater at 205 W. Long Lake Road, with showings Jan. 16-18, Jan. 23-25 and Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. 

The play by Elihu Winer is based on Robert Traver’s novel about a real-life murder trial that took place in the early 1950s in the Upper Peninsula, where an army lieutenant was tried for the murder of a bartender after the bartender allegedly assaulted the lieutenant’s wife.

The book was adapted into a movie in 1959 that included notable stars such as James “Jimmy” Stewart, Lee Remick and George C. Scott, among others.

“It’s got an element of mystery to it, because there’s a little bit of (asking) what really happened going on with the audience as they’re watching the play progress,” said the director, Bruce Thorburn. “(Questions like) what are the real facts? Was she really raped? Did he have the mental capacity to form the intent to kill the guy? Because one of the defenses raised by his attorneys are that he had diminished capacity, and that was one of the first times in Michigan that (this point) was raised as a defense at a criminal murder trial.”

Greg Bowman plays Paul Biegler, defense attorney for U.S. Army Lt. Frederick Manion. Bowman has done many shows with Ridgedale over the last 25 years. Bowman described himself as “no Jimmy Stewart,” but said he is striving for a performance that feels authentic.

“…there’s no mystery here — we know right from the beginning that Lt. Manion shot the bar owner. There are witnesses — people saw him do it in the bar,” Bowman said. “So (Biegler’s) job as defense attorney, he’s got to come up with, ‘OK, how am I going to defend this?’”

Emily Polet-Monterossl plays Laura Manion, the wife of Manion. This is Polet-Monterossl’s second show with the Ridgedale Players, although she has done shows with other community theatre groups.

“My character is complicated,” Polet-Monterossl said. “She had a traumatic event happen to her, and she’s in an environment where a lot of people don’t necessarily trust her or believe these things happened to her, and they kind of treat her suspiciously.”

Dennis Moylan plays Claude Dancer, a prosecutor called in from Lansing. This is Moylan’s fifth show with the Ridgedale Players; he has done around 20 shows over the last 15 years, including with other theatre groups.

“My character is arrogant,” Moylan said. “He is good, but he’s probably a tad more narcissistic than he needs to be, and it is a great foil for our lead character Paul, who is the one who is going to be the defense attorney.”

The show features some adult language and story elements, due to the nature of the case.

“I hope (audiences) get involved in the story of what happened and … that they get drawn into the whole courtroom drama of it,” Thorburn said.

For more information, visit ridgedaleplayers.com.