Would you like a murder mystery with that? Masque and Gown served up a "murder a la carte mystery play" for its Dinner Theater performance this week. Dedicated to the End by Peter DePietro was shown at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings in the Main Lounge in Moulton Union.
Audience members seemed to enjoy themselves. "I was delighted with the mixture of humor and mystery," said Chris Knight '07.
Dinner Theater at Bowdoin has customarily been three one-act plays. Director Ben Rosen '07 explained the change saying, "We were able to find a show that we could do in the short amount of time we had available. It was a short show with a large cast. With the talent that came out, the show was fated to be successful."
Audience members were greeted at the door by Katie Riendeau '07 and Marc Donnelly '07, in character as Doris and Stanley Richfield. The foyer of Moulton Union was decorated with campaign posters and red, white, and blue balloons to simulate a celebration of the anticipated victory of Richfield as governor of Maine.
The crew had even set up a table with appetizers, including cream cheese and chive cracker sandwiches, peanut butter crackers, and sparkling red and white grape juices.
Characters circulated the crowd conversing with audience members about who they voted for and whether they were enjoying themselves.
Hostess Megan Waterman '08, bedecked in patriotic colors, guided the audience through the experience, which she said was one of "murder, mystery, and mayhem." She used a cowbell and an air horn to signal transitions to flashbacks and then the returns to present time.
The performance actually began in the foyer as Tortellini Fusilli and Luigi Rosetti, played by Rachel Levene '06 and Aaron McCullough '07, made an impressive entrance as a mob couple. Julie Pinkbottom and Rodney Richfield, played by Derin Ross '05 and Ivano Pulito '08, also entered via staircase.
After a bomb scare, action moved into the dining room where the play opened with an announcement of Richfield's victory and then the murder of Mrs. Richfield. FBI agent George Bloomberg, played by Jared Hunt '08, and brothel owner Velma Vixen, played by Brandy Maloney '06, entered the scene, undercover as "Georgette" and Velma, to help solve the crime.
The play included two acts with dinner during the intermission. During dinner, characters joined audience members while they ate. Cast also included Steven Carlson '07 as frightening mobster "Big Daddy" and Krystle Allen '08 as the vengeful reporter Nan Beaumont.
Following dinner, audience members had the opportunity to question Bloomberg's "parade of suspects" in an attempt to find clues leading to the killer. Twists and turns and the revealing of Richfield's numerous affairs complicated the plot.
As the detectives got closer to the truth, Vixen got bumped off during a song number, giving the audience two murders to solve.
After people voted for their guesses, it was revealed Pinkbottom was the killer and jealousy was the motive; she was "dedicated to the end."
Such interactive theater was an interesting and new experience for audience members, actors, and crew alike.
"I got involved in Dinner Theater mostly out of curiosity. I wanted to be in a show and had never done anything this interactive before," Riendeau said.
Anna Booth '08, in charge of props, said, "Dinner Theater is a new thing for me too?no curtain to hide behind, here."
"It's always fun to put an annoying audience member in line when they try to be witty. Monday's crowd was quiet, but they seemed to enjoy themselves," Hunt said. "Tuesday was pretty full and we got the audience energy that is key to making an actor think he did a good job."
Dedicated to the End was delightfully cheesy and, though predictable, a fun experience to the end.