By Raven J. Railey

When a play has a title like “Something to Hide,” you hope it will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat trying to puzzle out who done it. The added bonus of this mystery is that the “it” done is also cloaked in mystery. This thriller by Leslie Sands will satisfy even picky mystery fans and the current production by The Little Colonel Players in Pewee Valley is worth a drive to the outskirts of Louisville. Tickets for the three remaining performances are going fast.

The action is set in a 1965 country home, which the wealthy publisher Karen Holt (Candy Thomas) has given to her romance writer husband, Howard (Allen Schuler). The wild ride begins almost immediately when Howard receives his adorable young mistress Julie Grant (Tiffany Smith) in his writer’s haven. When Karen unexpectedly shows up for the weekend, an honest accident turns into a dangerous cover-up and then to blackmail. As his wife unravels, Howard orchestrates a series of events designed to protect both his marriage from infidelity and his wife from being arrest for her accidental homicide.

Meanwhile, the couple sees shadows everywhere as their neighbors, Will Purdie (Rick Fletcher) and Miss Cunningham (Elaine Hackett), their maid Stella (Kirsten McDowell), and especially the Police Inspector Davies (Cook Farmer) begin to notice inconsistencies their story. With first-time director Bob Zielinski at the helm, the show is tight and compelling. With a wide range of experience in the cast, the production is nevertheless even and believable – even with some distinct British dialects that might challenge many pros.

Farmer shines as the wily but charming inspector, who keeps popping up with new questions for the Holts. Thomas and Schuler provide a nice tension and counterbalance, though at times their performances felt premeditated rather than spontaneous. Smith’s brief appearance as Grant sparkles and helps set an appropriately 1960s tone right off. A seasoned performer, Hackett’s nosy neighbor adds a note of humor and intrigue. Meanwhile Fletcher and McDowell charmingly give a sense of the village’s working class citizens.

At a packed matinee opening weekend, audience members were so intrigued by the plot’s unexpected twists and turns that they compared notes and theories with surrounding strangers. In the end, we were all confounded in different ways with an immensely satisfying surprise ending.