Niles Welch, Sarah Eberhart, Brice David Cunningham, Katherine Summerfield, Erica Goldsmith, & Jacob Hall in Ye Olde Murdyr Mysterie. Photo by Joey Goldsmith.
Ye Olde Murdyr Mysterie
By A.S. Waterman
Directed by Ben Rogers
Review by Janelle Renee Dunn
Entire contents copyright © 2017 by Janelle Renee Dunn. All rights reserved
Closing out their season, WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theater transports the audience to the ancient Celtic world on the eve of the Beltane festival in their current production of, Ye Old Murdyr Mysterie.
This being the first time I have gone to a murder mystery dinner show, I was not exactly sure what to expect. While I dined on the first course of salad, I began to be greeted by various characters from the show. Being able to come up to strangers and begin a random conversation takes some skill. There were some members of the cast who were very comfortable in conversation. They were informative and gave me plenty of background information to follow along with the show.
Jacob Hall as Sheriff Blackwood and Sarah Eberhart as Katherine were my favorite to talk with throughout the evening. There were some characters where it became a bit of an uncomfortable encounter. Perhaps they were nervous because they knew I was there to review the show (I was placed at a table by myself) or perhaps they were expecting me to start the conversation. Either way it made me feel like pulling the fake, “my phone is ringing” trick to end it. The most uncomfortable encounter was with Erica Goldsmith as Aelswyth. Watching her interact with other tables she came across as pleasant and was talked up by the other characters, which made me excited to talk with her. However, when she came to my table, she seemed to hold back. It took my probing to get her to open up a bit and even that felt difficult.
During the second course of marinated Portobello mushroom, we get the interrogation scene of all the suspects. We find out some interesting back-stories for a few of the characters that helped give clues to who might have murdered the victim. The cast then leaves the audience time to fill out clue cards on whom they believe is the killer.
It is during the dessert course the killer confesses to the crime. However, it felt as if I had barely taken a bite of my cheesecake (I was given a different dessert due to my nut allergies) before the killer confessed. Once they were revealed I felt a little disappointed in who it was and their reason why, especially since their were some really juicy nuggets given during the interrogation scene which would have made for a more scandalous reveal.
Overall if you are looking for an evening just to be entertained with some decent food and great company, then you will enjoy this current Whodunnit production.
Ye Olde Murdyr Mysterie
May 14 – June 24, 2017
Seating at 6:30 / Show starts at 7:00
WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theatre
At The Downtown Bristol
614 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
Whodunnitky.com
Janelle Renee Dunn, originally from Duncan, South Carolina, is an actor, singer and teaching artist. She has a MFA in Acting from the University of Louisville and a BA in Theatre (Directing) from Berea College. Before becoming the Performing Arts teacher at Chancey Elementary this school year, Janelle Renee taught drama workshops and drama clubs to students for three years. She also appeared in the title role of a local kid’s touring show, Kylie for President (Drama by George). Janelle Renee is also the Co-Artistic Director for Smoked Apple Theater Group. She recently made her professional directorial debut with SATG’s production of Oh Lord! Mamma Done Burnt the Biscuits. Acting credits include: Click, Clack, Moo (Stage One), ShowBoat (Kentucky Opera), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Bunbury Theatre), Kiss of the Spiderwoman and Rocky Horror Show (Pandora Productions), Much Ado About Nothing and Becoming Mother’s (Looking for Lilith) and Doubt (Wayward Actors).
