Toledo has a long, rich history of theatre, but access to original, independent theatre has been lacking.

The North Coast Theatre group offers Toledoans something different than other area theatre houses. From its new home at the Oliver House, NCT is running a production of "Murders at Little Wotting," an original play written and directed by NCT's Artistic Director, Christine Child.

The innovative comedy is artful in concept. In it's simple form, "Murders at Little Wotting" is the story of four actors — Jerome, Louise, Sasha, and Bobby (played by Mathew Wikander, Madge Levinson, Aggie Alt, and Kenneth Wieland, respectively) — meeting their new director, Joe (played by Nora Warejko,) at the first rehearsal for a play in which they've been cast. The catch: there were no auditions. This creates quite a fuss as the eccentric foursome pleads with Joe to divulge into which play they've been cast.

Nothing about this play is simple though. Its twists, turns, surprises, and revelations continue throughout. In fact, before the audience is even introduced to the quintet that composes the core of the play, it opens with a small man wandering the stage, silently munching an apple. He sniffs some flowers on an end table and is gone, only to return sporadically throughout the first act.

It is the brilliance of this elusive character (who we later get to know as Tino, played by Richard Vaught) who maintains an air of mystery and suspense around this comic piece, randomly popping on and off stage, often unbeknownst to the other actors, quietly eating his apple.

As the unlikely foursome of actors quarrel with their distraught director, we begin to see their characters take shape. Jerome is a Shakespearean sort, a boisterous, snooty performer who demands "motivation;" Louise, the sharp comic wit that keeps Jerome's lofty view of himself in check; Sasha, the New Age type who "reads auras," rolls out her yoga mat and meditates in times of conflict. And then there's Bobby, a misfit even among the other three; he's a rugged realist, innocently oblivious, yet a skeptic who notices "something effeminate about Joe."

Soon, the cast has a creative mutiny against their poor director and abandons his idea for a re-hashing of "Seven Keys to Baldpate," a forgotten Broadway flop, in favor of their own British-style murder mystery, "Murders at Little Wotting." As the cast becomes enamored with the potential of their new roles, the suspense builds as Joe goes missing and "the mysterious apple eater" gives the heebie jeebies to the cast.

We soon find, though, the actors have an agenda of their own, and Bobby is more than he lets on. As secret plots and hidden identities unfold, the audience discovers the whole hubbub is a ruse to get to the bottom of a deceased man's missing hot dog cart. Where the story goes from there is a delightful, pleasant surprise.

The production is witty, and worth a bellyful of laughs as its strong personalities duke it out for their own agendas. Perhaps its greatest strengths are the banter between Jerome and Louise, as old friends whose bickering never grows tiresome, executed wonderfully by Wikander and Levinson. The comedy they spin is offset by the brilliantly written and performed creepy suspense of Tino's long-silent character and his methodic munching. If the production has any shortcomings, it is that in the end, any lasting metaphor is spoon-fed in direct explanation to the audience in a way that some might deem preachy.

Nonetheless, "Murders at Little Wotting" is a fun and funny play whose experimental style is a refreshing offering in the world of local theatre. Right down to the space in which it's performed.

The "stage" is actually the newly renovated and opened Blue Heron Gallery at the Oliver House. Two large rooms with hardwood floors, connected by a large double doorway serve as a makeshift 'theatre-in-the-round.' This unconventional staging area authenticates NCT's mission to bring "innovative theatre to the North Coast," and creates a cozy atmosphere that is exciting as a legitimate independent theatre venue in Toledo.

So, if you're in for a comic break from daily life, and not interested in the same-ol', same-ol', NCT's "Murders at Little Wotting" is a pleasant way to spend an evening.

"Murders at Little Wotting" runs Friday and Saturday, September 26 and 27, and October 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m. Run time is about two hours (two acts, 3 scenes apiece). Oliver House South Wing Entrance, 27 Broadway St. Tickets are $10, seniors and students $5. 419-255-0416. www.northcoasttheatre.org