Perfect Crime

At 6,000 performances and counting, the New York production of Warren Manzi’s Hitchcockian thriller is the longest-running nonmusical in Broadway history. Such longevity is doubly amazing in view of Manzi’s criminally sloppy handle on the mystery story; his script is so overstuffed with red herrings, dropped subplots, implausible twists and flat-out plot holes it could be retitled Dial I For Incomprehensible. But as the man said, 50,000 Elvis fans can’t be wrong. Perfect Crime’s perfect attendance happens for a reason—namely, its terrifically watchable and funny villain, the casually domineering femme fatale Margaret Thorne Brent. It’s a juicy role, and the Jungle’s Jodee Theleen sinks her teeth into it, playing Margaret as a self-absorbed empress for whom contempt is so second-nature that she can’t stop launching her brutally dry barbs of sarcasm even when she’s seducing their target. If you want a good reason to commit to Crime, her performance is it. Jungle, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S., (612) 822-7063, www.jungletheater.com