Dial M for Murder Thrills at Yellow Tree Theatre

Dial M for Murder with a script adapted by local favorite Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Frederick Knott is making its way to the stage for the second time in a year. Last year I gave a very favorable review to the Guthrie’s production. Knott also wrote the screenplay for the Famous Alfred Hitchcock 3D film. Hatcher keeps the basics of the original work but adds several twists that make the play feel more modern though it retains the original 1950’s period setting and London locale. Normally with a thriller I’d be hesitant to give anything away, and I still intend to keep most things under wraps. But, unlike an Agatha Christie story, this isn’t really a whodunnit, it’s more like a Columbo episode. You know who the criminal is very early on, the thrills come from seeing how his plan comes off and how he adapts when things don’t go according to plan. The piece I won’t spoil is a sequence that Hatcher inserts during the commission of the crime, it doesn’t change Knotts basic plot but it adds another layer of suspicions, and it’s a ingenious little twist.

The plot revolves around Tony Wendices plan to have an old acquaintance named Lesgate murder his wife Margot after having discovered she had an affair with a writer that ended a year previous. One major change is a gender swap of the former lover from Max to Maxine. He also changes the professions of Tony and Maxine which adds another dimension to Tony’s motivations. Probably Hatchers greatest contribution is an injection of humor into the script, not so much as to feel out of place but just the perfect amount to add to the overall enjoyment of the piece. Since we know who the villain is, the thrills come from whether or not Tony will be found out. He is a perfect improvisor and when life throws him a twist, such as his wife killing Lesgate instead of the other way round, he uses it to his advantage. Inspector Hubbard makes piecing together the clues feel like effective reasoning even when it’s wrong, you can see why it seems correct to him.

Yellow Tree’s cast is a man down from the Guthrie version having actor Edwin Strout play both Lesgate and Inspector Hubbard. Strout does a great job in both roles and makes a clear case for doubling the roles in future productions. I particularly enjoyed his turn as the Inspector. Charles Fraser whose been doing a lot of fun work at Yellow Tree recently, plays Tony with slightly more desperation and less humor. It’s always interesting to see how different actors approach the same roles. Fraser’s Tony is a little less entertaining but maybe a little more realistic, which is also a valid choice that works well. Adelin Phelps plays Margot as straitlaced and trusting, making all of her decisions make sense while being exactly the opposite of what her character should do to extricate herself from danger. Finally Erika Soukup plays Maxine with a brashness that reflects her American roots, she’s the girl Friday of the show and we don’t know exactly where she stands at times, which allows one of Hatchers twists at the end to work in ways they wouldn’t if her character wasn’t so inscrutable.

Sarah Brandner’s Set Design makes good use of the Yellow Tree Theatre’s intimate space, it’s got a nice cozy British mystery feel to it. The Lighting Design by Alex Clark and the Sound Design by Jeff Bailey add some nice touches to the atmosphere as well. The costumes by Samantha Fromm Haddow, were a little hit or miss, I really got the impression that Frasers tuxedo on the night of the murder didn’t fit him very well and the outfit Margot wears in the final scene is rather ugly, but everything Maxine is put in looks absolutely fabulous. All in all, Director Brandon Raghu has mounted a very enjoyable production. It’s a little smaller in scale than the Guthrie but at about half the price, it’s just as thrilling.

Dial M for Murder runs through October 13th at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://yellowtreetheatre.com/dial-m

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time.

But that’s not all! Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . Now you too can be in the know about all the fabulous theater happening in and around the Twin Cities.

The Reunion a Wildly Entertaining Whodunnit From Trademark Theater at Gremlin Theatre

The Cast of The Reunion Photo by Dan Norman

Trademark Theater launches it’s theater season with The Reunion which is a show I attended a read through of a few years ago. Unlike most Agatha Christie based plays I attend I didn’t remember half way through who done did it, which always makes the experience more enjoyable. The Reunion, the brainchild of Trademark Theater’s co-founders Tyler Michaels King and Tyler Mills, is not only an engrossing mystery but also wickedly funny. The setup is a Reunion of friends from high school who used to gather together to to play murder mystery games. It’s been years since they have played and they have no idea when they arrive at the home of their wealthy friend Sam, that tonight the murder will be real! With old traumas and secret plans the script has the audience off balance and in the dark revealing information at just the right moment. It kept me guessing, but as I’ve said before I love a mystery because I can never solve them, so the reveal is always like a magic trick. I wish I was a Sherlock, but in reality I’m a Watson.

What makes the show a success aside from the delightful script is the performances of the cast. With material like this, the cast can be the difference between a success and a failure. We have to care about the characters and we have to find them funny. I’m happy to say this group of performers handily achieved both criteria. I loved everyone, I really did, there isn’t a member of this cast that I would trade. Michael Terrell Brown is perfect as the wealthy Sam who you almost suspect from the start will be the murder victim after his first awkward interaction with friend and employee Peter, played by Chris Hayhurst. Especially sweet is the unacted upon crush between Clive, played by the MJ Matheson and Susan played by Katy Kessler. Mathesons entire performance is brilliantly hilarious, and he and Kessler’s chemistry is the heart of the play. Sasha Andreev plays Susan’s husband Richard, I’m so used to seeing Andreev using his beautiful singing voice that it was quite a surprise to find him so gifted comedically as well. Janely Rodriguez plays Clive’s sister Laura, who also had an unrequited crush from high school on Elizabeth played by Emma Schuld. Laura seems very down to earth while Elizabeth is an extreme environmentalist, which she plays to great comic effect.

The Reunion is well staged with a very creative set design by Sarah Bahr, with some surprisingly effective ways of creating new locations. Dan Dukich’s sound design and Tony Stoeri’s lighting design help set the atmosphere with the perfect thriller vibe. The Reunion runs through October 12th at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.trademarktheater.org/thereunion

‘Til Death Do Us Die the Most Hilarious and Homicidal Wedding You’ll Hopefully Ever Attend

This follows hard upon my previous and first attendance of a The Mystery Cafe production. In fact, I’ve only reviewed three other productions in between I’ll Be Homicidal For Christmas and the new mystery ‘Til Death Do Us Die. What’s the rush you might ask? Well you know how when you first discovered Schitt’s Creek or Joe Pera Talks With You and you stayed up late bingeing every available episode because you enjoyed it so much? Well it’s kind of like that, I had such a blast with the first one that I wanted to keep going. And like finishing the last season and learning you have you have to wait a year for the next one or discovering that the bastards at Warner Brothers Discovery have cancelled a masterpiece after three short seasons. I’m now a bit bummed that there isn’t a new one on the schedule yet. I also took my own holiday gift giving advice and gave the gift of theater and in this case, The Mystery Cafe was given to some family members. I tell ya what, that’s the way to take in these productions! Get together your favorite mystery comedy loving fans and book a night out for some matrimony and murder. Once again, I stepped into the role of Dr. Watson to observe and be quite clueless as to the solution to the mystery. While the chief aim of the productions is the comedy on which it delivers, I’ve found in both cases that the mystery holds up as well. You could actually solve, but don’t feel bad if like me, you cannot see the solution until it is revealed to you and at which point, it will seem elementary my dear reader. Always the sign of a good mystery is when you can’t figure it out, but once it’s revealed you feel stupid for not solving it yourself. That means they didn’t cheat, but they kept it tricky enough that the answer took some critical thinking to solve which apparently, I don’t possess.

This latest Mystery takes place at the Wedding of Tara Ball played by Nissa Nordland and Duncan Schoen played by Brian Hodge-Rice. The Wedding party is made up of familiar faces Casey Martin, Brittany Oberstadt, Josh Carson, and Jonah Smith. Wini Froelich is the mother of the bride and Brad Erickson is the groom’s grandfather. Tim Dybevik is the Bride’s Uncle who is also officiating the ceremony and the DJ is played by Sam Landman. So glancing over the cast list, that should reveal another reason I wanted to see this production, it’s filled with local favorites. Now the fun of this show is the details, the jokes, the mystery, even the character names but I don’t want to spoil any of that for you. So trying not to reveal anything but still give you a feel for what to expect is the goal here. The audience plays the role of the guests at Tara and Duncan’s wedding, you’ll be seated at tables and if your table is far enough away from where the seating is set up for the ceremony, you’ll get the honor of sitting in the seats reserved for family of the bride and groom. After the ceremony and throughout the reception, you’ll be served your a three course meal, by the actors in character. The mystery will unfold throughout the evening so pay attention to the actors, though they will make sure your attention is on them for the critical moments there are a lot of jokes and comic bits happening at all times. At the end of the evening after you’ve enjoyed your slice of wedding cake, you will be given the opportunity to bribe members of the cast to answer questions using your allotted $20 of Mystery Cafe cash. Once you’ve learned all you can, you submit your guess as to who committed the murder and why. In terms of audience participation it ranges from being cast as the father of the bride or in my case as a line dancing guest our you can just sit back and observe, you really can participate as much or as little as you’d like.

The show is written by Brian Kelly and George Keller, comedy wise there are the odd clunkers here and there but overall its comedic writing and performances are very strong. I think sometimes people dismiss the mystery comedy genre, especially of the “dinner theater” variety as something less than other types of theater. I don’t know why that is, I imagine the script for something like this is just as challenging as any other. The performers need to be well rehearsed and able to stay in character and improvise as they interact with the audience. There are the usual design requirements and perhaps more given the non-theatrical venues. Most importantly, it’s as entertaining as any other type of theater. There’s nothing wrong with theater that is fun, escapism is one of the many reasons we go to the theater. And while it might seem like all this does is entertain, I’ll remind you that it also asks you to engage your problem solving skills and try and help bring the culprits to justice. I am having a great time with these shows they are a lot of fun, both clever and witty, and as an added bonus they are family friendly, so this is a great experience for a family theatrical outing, which is the best kind of family outing.

For more information and to purchase tickets to ‘Til Death Do Us Die go to https://www.themysterycafe.com/

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas, A Laugh Filled Murder Mystery That You Get to Help Solve!

Eric Webster, Kathy Kupiecki and Paul Somers

I love a mystery, I mean it, I’m not just listing the name of an old radio program, I really do love a mystery. What I discovered today, but have suspected for a long time, is that I’m no good at solving them. But hey, maybe that’s why I like them so much, the solutions always strike me as ingenious. I’m content to be Dr. Watson along for the ride, baffled and then embarrassed at how elementary it all sounds when it’s explained to me like a fourth grader trying to grasp the difference between a semicolon and a colon. And like the mystery of the colons each time a new whodunnit arises I’m baffled all over again. All I know for certain is that a couple of years ago I had part of my : removed, so now I just have a ;. The Mystery Cafe has been baffling and making audiences laugh since 1989; but this was my first meal and a murder with them: and I found it delightful! The current show, I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas runs into January, but if you can’t make that they also have two other shows on their schedules and one of them runs into February.

I attended a brunch performance and aside from the very entertaining show there was a tasty buffet meal, I believe the evening performances come with a 3 course meal. The plot of I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas per the Mystery Cafe website is:

Albee Humphrey used to be a household name, but these days his star is fading. He’s got one last shot at a comeback – with a network televised Christmas special. There’s celebrity guests, variety acts, and…murder. This is his last chance to be a star again. He’ll either make it back on top… or die trying!

Albee Humphrey is played by Eric Webster of the MORLS or The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society for long, which faithful readers will recognize as a favorite of mine. I’d seen and heard Webster Perform with the MORLS and in other shows for years, I’ve even interviewed him for the Twin Cities Theater Chat podcast (click on link to hear that episode https://bit.ly/TCTCMORLS ), so I knew he could act and that he’s very funny, but what I wasn’t aware of is that he’s a very good singer as well. Webster is perfectly cast, his love of classic radio and films informs his performance as Humphrey, he nails the look and style of the character. When I booked the show I was also excited to see his wife Shanan Custer was also in the cast. I was a little disappointed when I found out she wouldn’t be at the performance but her replacement Kathy Kupiecki was wonderful playing three different characters. My favorite of which was Sheila, one half of a knife throwing act, whose name I can remember because she kept introducing herself. Also doing triple duty in the show is Paul Somers who plays the other half of the knife throwing duo as well as Pickles the Ventriloquist and Bernie Bridges. Bridges is the other half of a comedy team with Humphrey in the mold of Martin and Lewis who hate each other and haven’t worked together in 20 years. Somers is hysterical in all three roles getting the most fabulous costume and wigs to round out his eccentric characters. The other main performers are the wonderful Randy Schmeling as the Director of the TV special and Rita Boersma as Frankie his assistant. Both are decked out in 1970’s attire really looking the part, hats off to whomever is in charge of costumes and wigs they add so much fun to the experience. And lastly, as the almost overlooked Production Manager Simon is Michael Franssen, he doesn’t get a lot to say but you can tell he’s the guy behind the scenes keeping everything on track.

The wonderful cast does a great job of performing in and amongst the audience. I’m always surprised at the ability of certain performers to stay in character while stand right next to the audience and even interacting with them. I know some of these performers from seeing them in improv shows and I suspect those skills serve them well here. I got the sense that a couple of the lines spoken to each other were unscripted and it was fun to see them trying not to laugh at the lines they were being fed. For more information and to purchase tickets to I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas or any of the Mystery Cafe shows go to https://www.themysterycafe.com/

This Holiday season why not start a new tradition of taking in a live theater production with family and friends? It’s a great way to create lasting memories and will give you something to look forward to every year as you experience the magic of live theater. Whether your budget is large or small, there is a show for you. Looking for gift ideas? Don’t we all have enough “stuff”? Give the gift of live theater, go to your favorite theaters website, see what shows they have coming up in the new year and give the gift of an experience over material.