Based on Vera Caspary’s 1943 pulp-fiction novel of the same name, the play Laura begins with the gorgeous woman at the center of the story already dead – someone took a shotgun and blew her face off. But that doesn’t stop Mark McPherson, the New York City detective in charge of the case, from falling in love with the victim while he sleuths out her life. Two creepy characters skulk around – a snotty columnist who feels like he helped create Laura’s career and an on-again, off-again boyfriend. There’s lots to keep this noir plot twisting, including the fact that since there was no face on the body, maybe Laura isn’t dead after all. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. September 12. Through September 25. Theatre Southwest, 8944-a Clarkcrest. For information, call 713-661-9505 or visit www.theatresouthwest.org. $16.
Fridays, Saturdays. Starts: Sept. 3. Continues through Sept. 25, 2010
This article appears in Sep 2-8, 2010.