An old-fashioned thriller in the Agatha Christie vein, “Tryst” is set in Edwardian times. It could just as easily have been written then as well — and that’s a compliment.
Originally produced in England under the title “The Mysterious Mr. Love,” Karoline Leach’s 1997 play concerns a rakishly charming con man named George Love (Mark Shanahan) who preys on vulnerable single women. His typical MO is to seduce them into a quickie marriage, then abscond with their money. But he’s enough of a gentleman to provide at least one evening of pleasure before he flees.
His latest victim is Adelaide (Andrea Maulella), a lonely, not terribly attractive woman who works in a London hat shop. Regaled by his stories of spying for the British government and other adventures, she falls under Love’s spell. Soon after, they’re honeymooning at a seaside resort.
“Tryst” unveils several teasing twists and turns as George learns that Adelaide isn’t quite the gullible innocent he imagined. But the strong plotting is undercut by having the characters narrate events that would be more effectively dramatized.
Director Joe Brancato has provided a properly atmospheric, ominous staging that works particularly well in the well-worn, cozy confines of the Irish Rep.
Although Shanahan lacks the raw sex appeal that Maxwell Caulfield oozed in the play’s off-Broadway premiere five years ago, he makes more of Love’s sleazy malevolence. And Maulella superbly conveys both Adelaide’s desperate yearning and the underlying steeliness that gives the play its delicious tension.