Meryl Streep sings out a confession

Meryl Streep in handcuffs is a spicy image you don’t often see, but the actor embraced such a sordid scene as Loretta Durkin in the third season of the delightful whodunit “Only Murders in the Building.� The bombshell plot point in the series starring the magnetic trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez takes place during a rehearsal of Oliver’s (Short) Broadway musical when Loretta confesses mid-song to a murder she didn’t actually commit — all in the name of protecting her son. Add in Oliver collapsing to the floor from the stress, and the drama of the “Sitzprobe� episode ends on a wild cliffhanger. For cinematographer Kyle Wullschleger, creating a realistic theatrical atmosphere was crucial to the visual storytelling. “The theater was such a central character of the entire season,� he says. “We worked with a Broadway lighting director to pre-light the stage to make it feel authentic and look naturalistic.� Using theater fixtures, the location was drenched in a cool blue hue hinting at a “backstage feel.� For Streep’s heart-stirring performance, Wullschleger notes, “It’s not something we prerecorded. Her dialogue becomes part of the song and so do her emotions in that moment. She did that all for real.�