Margaret Allyson Twists and pouts: Mark Makin, Emilie Buske, Thomas Gamel, and David E. Rasberry in 'Perfect Crime.'

Perfect Crime Fort Worth Theatre, Orchestra Hall, 4401 Trail Lake Dr, FW Thru Oct 27; $10-15. 817-921-5300

Last season Fort Worth Theatre gambled on provocative, controversial works addressing issues of school violence, pedophiles, and family dysfunction. The gamble paid off big artistically, bringing thoughtful, intelligent drama to Fort Worth. Unfortunately, it didn't fill many seats. Maybe Fort Worth prefers light entertainment to edgy drama. Maybe not enough people know where Fort Worth Theatre is. Either way, with Perfect Crime, the theater troupe takes a (hopefully temporary) mainstream detour.

This murder mystery has been an off-Broadway hit since 1987; it's New York's longest running non-musical production. Such acclaim is curious, given the play's rather ordinary nature: Perfect Crime is fair, mildly engaging at times, but no great shakes.

The play -- set present day, though it feels like a '40s film noir -- contains all the stock mystery elements. The action occurs at a secluded estate where everyone dresses to the nines. There are rich people with scandal-filled lives, a femme fatale, a hard-boiled cop, and a creep-inducing psychotic. The plot's twists, turns, and dead-ends feel ever so Agatha Christie.

For all that, Perfect Crime has all the right ingredients but not much soul. There is a paint-by-numbers feeling here, a sort of mystery-writing 101.

Darkness and rain begin the play as psychiatrist Margaret Thorne-Brent (Emilie Buske) shoots her husband, Harrison (David E. Rasberry). Matters are complicated when detective James Ascher (Mark Makin) arrives to arrest Margaret, only to find Harrison alive and well. Ascher doubts the couple's explanation, falls for Margaret, and the mystery begins. Did Margaret kill Harrison and possibly others? Is her patient, Lionel McCauley (Thomas Gamel), a killer? Or is he simply delusional and under Margaret's hypnotic spell?

The plot twists, cute initially, grow tiresome eventually (actually, pretty quickly). The play's shifting tone feels like the work of a writer who couldn't make up his mind. Bits of droll humor pop up, not often enough. Margaret morphs from cool sophisticate to tough B-movie dame, brusquely barking, "Make with the questions already." The moment passes quickly, however, leaving the audience members to scratch their heads in wonder.

To give the production its due, Perfect Crime is well-staged and -acted. The lighting nicely portrays the mood. So does the effective, though somewhat predictable, use of classical and opera theme music. Gamel, beady-eyed and jittery, recalls Peter Lorre -- appropriate, given the material. Buske carries herself with elegance and nonchalance, making her a natural for the role.

The problem with the play is that it doesn't add anything interesting to the mystery genre. It runs about as deep as an episode of Murder, She Wrote. Given the quality of recent Fort Worth Theatre productions, it's a bit of a letdown.