Lakeshore Players are going for a murder mystery theme for their 48th season which will kick off with the presentation of The Butler did it, a murder mystery spoof by Tim Kelly at the Louise Chalmers Theatre at John Rennie High School from Nov. 1 to 3 and 7 to 10.
The play is a delightful comedy spoofing the murder mystery genre. The show remains a play in the traditional sense of the term as audience members are less involved than in murder mystery dinner-parties. However, the presentation is worth the while according to Lakeshore Players media contact Sterling Mawhinney.
“It’s a spoof of the genre of murder mystery theme: Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, all of the famous characters in mystery are represented. The audience while sitting in their seats are involved, just as the characters are, in trying to find out who committed the murder. If anybody has ever seen or read a murder mystery, they’ll find it very funny,” he said.
The story begins as a cast of mystery writers are brought together by the socialite Miss Maple at her secluded mansion located on Turkey Island off San Francisco. They are called there for a weekend retreat to play the famous characters they have created. The weekend getaway turns lethal however and these writers are thrust into the role of actual detectives as an actual murder is committed.
Blame and accusation mount in this hilarious send-up of the mystery detective genre. You’ll laugh along while joining the wannabe detectives in a game of who dunnit.
The production features a fine cast of volunteer actors, either local amateur or semi-professionals. The cast is composed of James Berryman (Rick Carlyle), Tali Brady (Laura Carlyle), Steve Gillam (Chandler Marlowe), Cindy Girard (Charity Haze), Bryan Libero (Peter Flimsey), Nadia Pearson (Haversham), Catherine Pycock (Miss Maple), Irwin Shlafman (Louie Fan), George Spelvin (Pharaoh Link), Georgina Spelvin (Mabel Dupre), Luanna Venditti (Rita Eyelesbarrow) and Edward Wong (Father White).
Liz Truchanowicz is the director of this fun-filled adventure while Steve Gillam takes care of set design, Jo-Ann Pine takes on costume design, Tyler Tardiff is the lighting designer and Eric Sauve is the sound design person.
Showtime is at 8 p.m. for all dates. There will be a matinee presentation on Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. Louise Chalmers Theatre is located at 501 St. John’s Blvd. in Pointe Claire. Tickets are $24 for adults, $16 for balcony. Seniors and students get a discount at $20 per ticket. To call box office, dial 514-631-8718.
