Olympia\'s Harlequin Productions is not one of those theaters to shy away from plays, topics, stagings and otherwise edgy issues other troupes might opt to avoid. It\'s not avant-garde or anything like that. Scot and Linda Whitney just like staging works they\'d like to see, so if other folks happen to like the show all the better. But the show isn\'t staged for what they think audiences would like. The Whitneys mix it up and force audiences to expect the unexpected. I love them for that. Shows are neither ever traditional nor boring.

Such is the case, apparently, with Harlequin’s current work, "Accomplice," which opened last weekend. My schedule didn\'t allow me to see the show, so I sent a theater surrogate with instructions to report back with the details. Darn volunteer commitments, I need to serve on fewer boards.

Anyway, in a nutshell, she loved it.

"It was sort of like Agatha Christie and Benny Hill had an affair, and this is the love child they produced," she reports.

The show was written by Rupert Holmes, the dude who brought the world "The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” which played at Capital Playhouse a few years back. And it very much continues that trend. It is a story about a diabolical plot to do all things criminal that takes more twists and turns and dips and sways than a Fox\'s stripper on double-dance night.

It\'s a thriller that weaves suspense, sexual tension, music, and humor in much the same way my prom date did — although this show didn\'t involve anyone mopping out the back of a Honda Civic at 3 a.m. the way that night did. But that\'s a story for a different time. Go Lancers.

Apparently, to explain the plot would be to ruin the show — much like learning the gal was a dude beforehand killed the plot twist of "The Crying Game." But I should at least set the stage, so I will walk lightly in hopes that you will see the show and understand why my descriptions are vague.

The show opens the way all English mysteries do — at an isolated cottage deep in the moor.

Two couples are having a bit of a vacation — a holiday in the local speak. The plot spirals from there as identities appear not to be as they first seemed.

The show has violence, partial nudity and more sexual situations than an episode of "Melrose Place" as a story unfolds.

"Think \'Death Trap,\' then turn it up to \'11,\'" says Director Frank Lawler in press accounts. "Maybe even \'12\'. Faster, funnier, sexier, scarier, crazier, and just a whole lot of fun."

The fine cast is made up entirely of newcomers to Harlequin Productions, including Gavin Cummings, Peter Cook, Jill Snyder, and Sam Wykes. Set design is by Mark Bujeaud; lighting design is by Nat Rayman; and costume design is by Monique Anderson.

"Accomplice" runs at the State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., in Olympia. The show runs 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 15. Tickets are $24 to $33 with half-price tickets available a half hour before the show. More information is available at: www.harlequinproductions.org or by calling 360.786.0151.

Season preview

Next week, I hope to scour through the season lineups for the 2007 and 2008 season and give you an unabridged roster of must-see shows as theaters around the Sound kick off their first plays just in time for school to start and life to get back to normal.

Send me your thoughts about the shows you can\'t wait to see this year, and I\'ll see how much they match the correct answers. Send your picks to: viewfromthecheapseats@bigfoot.com.