kde-spectacle crashes every time

I have a multi-display setup, a few traditional HD monitors.
Under 21.04, every time I choose 'Take a new screenshot' with the rectangular region area capture mode-- the spectacle just disappears as if it was never launched. The system resumes as if Spectacle was never attempted, there is no option to choose any region, it is as if I had just quit spectacle or had never run it in the first place. Everything operates seemingly normally. Then-- when spectacle is launched a second time -- the system goes immediately into the mode of capturing a rectangular region -- it operates as if the 'take a new screenshot' had just been pressed. After the screenshot is taken, the menu reappears and is normal.