Philip Marlowe knows how to walk down the seedy streets of Los Angeles without getting dirty.

A moral man in an amoral world, Marlowe comes to life in a gritty time-stamped production of “Trouble Is My Business” opening Friday at Portland Stage Company. The production marks the world premiere for the thriller, which is based on two short stories by detective novelist Raymond Chandler.

Adapted for the stage by New Jersey writer and director James Glossman, the play evokes early 20th-century Los Angeles. It has a fast-paced, film noir appeal. Swift scene changes take viewers down dangerous alleys and into dark bars and stately mansions as Marlowe slips thugs and cops alike while navigating the city’s underworld.

“Trouble is My Business” tells two stories. Act I is based on the Chandler short story “Red Wind” and involves murder, blackmail and a necklace of pearls. Act II, based on the story “Trouble Is My Business,” involves infidelity, a femme fatale and a string of murders.

Dave Mason, who appeared at Portland Stage last fall in John Cariani’s “Last Gas,” plays the hardboiled, tough-talking Marlowe. The rest of the cast is an ensemble, with a half-dozen actors playing multiple roles. Local talent Daniel Noel, Dustin Tucker and Ron Botting mix with a group from New York.

“I’ve been interested in Chandler ever since I was maybe 13 or 14,” said Glossman, who directs. He first heard about Raymond Chandler through the TV character Lou Grant, played by Ed Asner on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Mary is showing Lou some of her writing, and he barks, “You want writing — I’ll show you writing!”

He pulls a book from a desk drawer, reads the opening lines of “Red Wind” and tells Mary, “That’s Raymond Chandler.”

Glossman has been enamored of Chandler ever since. He’s read all the novels and short stories, and has for many years carried around the idea of adapting a few of them for stage. These two particular stories seemed a logical pairing because of their overlapping characters and common tempos and moods, he said.

The play has had readings in New Jersey and New York, but the Portland Stage production marks the first time it will be staged in full.

It is among several plays opening or continuing during the next two weeks:

• Mad Horse Theatre Company opens the comedy “Becky Shaw” by Obie Award-winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo. Previews are at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Friday, and the play opens at 8 p.m. Saturday at Lucid Stage, 29 Baxter Blvd., Portland. It continues through Feb. 14.

Mad Horse member James Herrera makes his directorial debut with this show, which The New York Times called “a comedy of bad manners.” In the play, a woman fixes up her best friend with her husband’s co-worker. The date goes awry, forcing the matchmakers to examine their own relationship.

The cast includes Mad Horse members Elizabeth Chambers, Janice Gardner, Brent Askari, Burke Brimmer and Tootie Van Reenan. Tickets cost $22 ($20 for students and seniors). Call 899-3993 or visit lucidstage.org.

• The Public Theatre in Lewiston presents the New England premiere of “The Language Archive,” a comedy about love, marriage and miscommunication. It opens Friday and runs through Feb. 5.

The play tells the story of George, a linguist who is unable to find the right words to say to his wife. Meanwhile, at work, he’s also in danger of losing his chance to record the dying language of Elloway because its last two speakers — an elderly married couple — are fighting, and refuse to speak their native tongue until they resolve their argument.

Dawn McAndrews, artistic director at The Theater at Monmouth, directs. The play stars James Hoban, Janet Mitchko, Tarah Flanagan, Andrea Gallo and Edward Furs.

“The Language Archive” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2-3, 2 and 8 p.m. Feb. 4, and 2 p.m. Feb. 5. Tickets cost $18 ($5 for ages 18 and younger). Call 782-3200 or visit thepublictheatre.org.

• In Brunswick, the Theater Project’s Professional Ensemble presents Annie Baker’s “Circle Mirror Transformation” through Feb. 19.

Set in a community center in small-town Vermont, the play begins on the first day of an acting class that free-spirited Marty is teaching. The play unfolds over the six weeks of the workshop, and the audience watches as relationships bloom and wither.

“Circle Mirror Transformation” runs in conjunction with “Winter Cabaret” as part of a repertory production. Performances are at 7:30 tonight, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 19. All tickets are a suggested donation of $18. Call 729-8584 or visit theaterproject.com. The Theater Project is at 14 School St., Brunswick.

• Freeport Factory Stage presents Tennessee Williams’ drama “The Glass Menagerie” Feb. 9-25, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Set in pre-World War II, this memory play explores family bonds and the things that tie us to the past and haunt us.

Jeri Pitcher directs. The cast includes J.P. Guimont, Elizabeth Somerville and Freeport Factory Stage artistic director Julie George-Carlson.

All Thursday performances are pay-what-you-can. Tickets for all other performances are $19 ($15 for students and seniors ages 65 and older). Visit freeportfactory.com or call 865-5505.

• Good Theater continues its run of “Next Fall” at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St., Portland. The play is set in present-day Manhattan and jumps back and forth in time, from the present in a New York hospital to a series of events over the past five years. At its center are Luke and Adam, two men in love. It also features two parents in denial and two friends on speed dial.

Show times are 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 19. Tickets are $15 to $25. Call 885-5883 or visit goodtheater.com. 

Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or:

bkeyes@pressherald.com

Twitter: pphbkeyes

 

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