Murder mystery dinner play engaging

Roxanne McKnight with The Meteor

Madisonville Community Theatre gave a delightful presentation this past weekend of a murder mystery called “I'm Getting Murdered in the Morning.”

The theatergoers were seated - and treated - as if they were at a wedding reception, with every familiar detail, from the prattling disc jockey playing dance music to the vial of bubbles at each place setting, ready for the bride and groom's departure. The cast included the wait staff as well as the wedding party and its supporting characters.

Every effort was made by the cast members to engage the audience. Reality overlapped fantasy as the characters casually greeted audience members by name as if they actually were seeing each other at the wedding reception of shared friends.

The groom's parents, Harold and Mildred Montague, played by Dick Stutzman and Barbara Scott, seemed like a long-embittered couple, with neglectful husband and CEO Harold trying to smooth over the outrageous behavior of his spoiled lush wife, Mildred.

The bride, Brenda Anne Marie, played by Cindy White, was a bridezilla, well on her way to making her fourth husband's life as miserable as her own.

It was hard to see what groom Edward Crock, played by Trey Cool, saw in his Brenda, but his neck was firmly in the noose, and he wasn't backing out, even as Brenda scolded him like a harridan or whacked him up the side of the head when he didn't meet her expectations.

The groom's mother, Sheila Coquette, played by Pat Sowell, was aptly named, flirting with Harold as he tried to put out the fires started by his wife and his daughter. Sheila, a merry widow whose late husband kicked the bucket a week after winning big in the lottery, was more than happy to make eyes with Harold, much to the chagrin of Mildred.

The constant thread throughout the play was the chatter of the loud-mouthed wedding disc jockey, played by J.D. Humber. He deftly incorporated audience input into his outrageous remarks and jokes.

Best man Benny Tutwalder, played by Doug Stutzman, had one eye on the mirror and the other on the best-looking girl in the room, his mind consumed with choosing the best pick-up line for the situation and his ego swelling with each phone number acquired.

Self-deprecating bookworm and maid of honor Bunny Kelly, played by Ericalynn Cannon, tried to corral the other characters, much to their irritation, into following the prescription of the latest books she had read.

The groom's grandmother, Granny Crock, played by Penny Barker, sat in the audience, loudly interjecting from time to time the kind of comments that make relatives cringe.

Director Stephanie Schmidt played the wedding planner, mostly staying out of the limelight, but subtly keeping the play on track from time to time.

After a character was suddenly and mysteriously killed, suspicion settled on the room as those in the wedding party accused each other and offered their alibis. Two additional characters kept up a hostile interchange at that point, one trying to stir up emotions and accusations, the other trying to dampen them. Society columnist Mary Burger, played by Mandy Colwell, who prided herself on uncovering the facts for her column, interviewed character after character, trying to pin the murder on one or another. Running interference was a character simply called Parker, played by Kay Welch, who was consistently successful in confusing Burger with questions of her own.

Kim Davis played the maitre d'; Henry Cool played the headwaiter; and Bob Colwell played the photographer. Playing wait staff were Jenny Benkoski, Brooke Bickham, Michele Cole, Lynita Foster, Adam Livingston, Terry Livingston, Lyndee Park, Dustin Sparkman, Wesley Stutzman, Steve Thompson, Chris Vincent and Donald Willis.

The action took place while a delicious four-course dinner, expertly made by Madisonville High School's FCCLA, was served.

Each table of guests constituted a team that was allowed to question the characters to try to deduce the murderer. After the disc jockey took a casual vote of who suspected which character of the dirty deed, the denouement revealed the true murderer - an identity that changes with each performance to maintain the suspense and invite repeat guests.

There are only two more opportunities to enjoy the Community Theatre's truly fun who-done-it: Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21, at 7 p.m. both evenings. There are said to be a few tickets remaining. The cost is only $15, well worth it for dinner and entertainment. Tickets may be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce on the Square next to the Kimbro Center.