Corporate Intrigue (WhoDunnit)

Jun 9

2 min read

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(From left to right: Jessica Vautard, Graham Troop, John Thwing, Susan E. Brooks, Dan Stephens, Jason Bearden)

Murders & Acquisitions

Written by A.S. Waterman

Directed by Brooke Paige

Review by Kate Barry

Universal Finance is holding their annual meeting of shareholders. With a major vote to merge with Endyon-Victor Corporation at stake, what could possibly go wrong? WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theater’s Murders & Acquisitions is a comedy that’s all business as an assistant falls victim to a murder while secrets come to light.

Typical for WhoDunnit, this performance was double-cast. The actors on the June 7th performance included Jessica Vautard, Graham Troop, Dan Stephens, Erica Goldsmith and Todd Padgett. While the play itself involves short, quick-witted scenes involving silly jokes and a Tony Bennett-style parody, the core of the murder mystery relies on how well the actors can use their improvisational skills when interacting with the audience. As a general rule, the characters have to answer questions honestly, but if you ask if they are the murderer, they will promptly say no.

As perky and peppy Merilee, Jessica Vautard made some great character choices. Complete with skull earrings and bright pink button down, Vautard’s New York accent a la Cyndi Lauper elevated her performance of the noisy office gossip. Erica Goldsmith brought a no-nonsense approach to Helen Burns, the company vice president with a secret lust. Burns’ attraction was not subtle at all and has fun pining after her person of interest. Dan Stephens portrayed company CEO Bert Van Damme with plenty of confidence and concern about his company’s portrayal in the media. WhoDunnit shares the killer with the audience after guesses are turned in, and funny responses are shared as well. At this point, it was shared that one audience member thought Stephens’ performance was like that of a funeral director, I would disagree and found the performance less rigid than that stoic archetype.

Regrettably, I was not able to interact with every actor due to timing or other production circumstances. Notably, more seasoned cast members appeared more comfortable approaching the tables of audience members than others. Improvisation is not easy and the cast followed the rules of WhoDunnit’s murder mystery enough to make it enjoyable. By nature, WhoDunnit scripts tend to have lots of jokes. While the actors did well to meet their cues and blocking, a good portion of the comedic line delivery was met with less than ideal amounts of laughter.

Within the WhoDunnit performance, audience members play the part of the shareholders for Universal Finance of Pewee Valley, Kentucky. While figuring out the murderer and motive, the audience is invited to vote yes or no on the merger with Endyon-Victor Corporation. And while you may not figure out who did it, maybe the votes will sway in your favor. Either way, there is a lot at stake in Murders & Acquisitions.

Murders & Acquisitions WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theater Saturdays, May 17 - June 21; Seating at 6:30 P.M. / Show starts at 7:00pm The Bristol Bar & Grille Downtown 614 West Main Street Ticketing info: Click the Eventbrite link on our website, or call (502) 649-1829