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| Left to right: Makayla Staudenheimer, A. J. Green, Penny Brill, Tom Staudenheimer and Morgan Younge in Entree to Murder. Photo courtesy of Whodunnit Murder Mystery Theatre. |
Entrée to Murder
Written by Ray Simmons
Directed by Jane Mattingly
Reviewed by Keith
Waits.
This latest
WhoDunnit entry does something that seems like such a good idea that I’m surprised
they’ve never tried it before: set the murder in a restaurant. The
mystery/dinner format already breaks down the barrier between audience and
actor with the “table walks” in which the cast mingle with the crowd between
scenes. But placing the action in a five-star eatery blurs the lines even further,
as the setting cleverly acknowledges the dinner theater circumstance with spare set pieces that match the color and décor of the Hyatt Regency dining
room that serves as WhoDunnit’s venue.
The struggle
between illusion and reality continues as the Captain of Homicide questions
audience members about their whereabouts on the night a particularly irritating
yet loyal patron was poisoned. He was played by A. J. Green with an easy
authority in this WhoDunnit veteran’s loosest and most relaxed performance. He
was ably joined by Makayla Staudenheimer as a saucy chef and Morgan Younge as
the maître de, both of whom show a good feeling for finding the laughs with
skill and restraint. Penny Brill nicely underplays the restaurant’s bookkeeper
while Tom Staudenheimer is colorful but overplays the owner of Chez James with
too much gesture and overemphatic line readings that overwhelm in the intimate
performance space.
The script
by Ray Simmons follows the model pretty well, with sufficient background and character
detail to give the real mystery aficionados enough to chew on between courses. (Almost half of the audience solved the mystery on opening night, including
this reviewer, so the clues are fairly placed.) The direction by Jane Mattingly
is generally clean, lean and efficient, and she draws performances that, for
the most part, display nice consistency in energy and tone.
As for
dinner, the stuffed baked sole was pretty tasty; but the Strawberry Lemon
Mousse cake was definitely a scene-stealer. Lemon desserts are often
overwhelming and overly tart, but the delicate cake with layers of raspberry
and cream was delightful.
Editor’s Note: WhoDunnit roles are
double-cast to accommodate their particular schedule, and some actors mentioned
here may not be appearing when you attend.
Entrée to Murder
May 12-June 23, 2012
Seating
at 6:30 / Show starts at 7:00
WhoDunnit
Murder Mystery Theatre
Performing
at the Hyatt Downtown
320
West Jefferson Street
Louisville,
KY 40202
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