Review: Peacock’s ‘Wrong Window!’ shatters expectations

(Photo by Pam Roman) "Thor hovering" L to R: Alex Giles, Ashley Elver, Milo Elver, Jordan Legue, Kaylee Todd. Background: Ben March. The show opens Oct. 3.

By Harrison Keely

Guest Writer

When was the last time you watched a mystery show and found yourself laughing uproariously scene after scene? Wrong Window!, the Peacock Performing Arts Center’s final play of the 2025 season, succeeds marvelously as a whumordunit.

Director David Layfield’s long pedigree as a performer pays off in spades. His cast moves with fleet precision, keeping the energy taut and the timing crisp — there’s never a dull moment. Though set changes could use a touch more briskness, each scene is fully worth the wait.

Two familiar Peacock faces, Ashley Elver and Alex Giles, play a couple convinced they’ve seen their neighbor’s murder. Elver’s trademark energy and flair shine as Marnie, while Giles brings nervous, phobia-laden Jeff vividly to life.

It’s exciting to see so many new actors in sizable roles under the Peacock proscenium. Milo Elver definitely looks the part of Detective Doyle. Jordan Legue embodies his character’s claim of nonchalance. Kaylee Todd is a standout newcomer in her debut stage role. Endowed with natural talent, Todd has found a second home in stagecraft. This reviewer hopes to see her in many future productions. When Todd and Ashley Elver share a scene, they appear to be loving every minute of it, and that effervescence is infectious.

Ben March was born to play the formidable Thor. In a show that boasts some appreciable casting, March (straight off playing a thug in Kiss Me, Kate this summer) is the icing on the cake. Teresa Lemaire plays his wife Lila. Her deliberately stiff performance is dead-on. Lastly, it’s a delight to see David Heyer stretch his wings as an awkward handyman in his largest role to date.

The show’s cleverly dual-purpose set — one apartment repeatedly re-dressed as another — demonstrates the dedication of an army of stagehands, who deserve every recognition at curtain call. 

Wrong Window! abounds in Hitchcock references (how many can you spot?), but even if you’re no Alfred aficionado, you won’t miss a beat. Like any solid mystery, you may find yourself second-guessing what happened and who the culprit is – but not without a rollicking ride to the end. Wrong Window! is a season-closer every bit worth seeing.

The show runs Friday through Sunday, October 3-5 and 10-12, at the Peacock in Hayesville. Friday/Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. For details, call the box office at 828-389-2787 or visit thepeacocknc.org.