Happy Holiday Murder Mystery (WhoDunnit)

The Nutcracker-Sweet Murders Written by A.S. Waterman Directed by Rita Hight A review by Kate Barry

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At the start of the WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theater 25th Anniversary pre-show celebration, director Rita Hight cheekily asked if her audience was “in the mood for a Christmas murder?” What followed were tidings, carols and a short parody of a well-known murder mystery. The Nutcracker-Sweet Murders proved to be holiday fun too; perfectly suited for the company’s ten years at the Bristol Bar and Grille and a quarter century of dinner theater.

The anniversary festivities included a one-night only pre-show special for the December 6th performance. The night started with Rita Hight and Richard Ray regaling the crowd with a medley of holiday favorites such as “Silver Bells,” “Need a Little Christmas” along with some original songs to lighten the mood. WhoDunnit's President, Founder, and author A.S. Waterman made an appearance with a reflection on comedic line flubs made over the years. The look back made mistakes notable and acknowledged the hard working actors and the witty scripts. The pre-show concluded with the parody “The Maltese Parakeet,” a two scene send up to one of Humphry Bogart’s most famous films. The script was littered with bird puns and days of the week word play. I would be interested in seeing a more fleshed out version of this work in the shape of a main stage show.

As for The Nutcracker-Sweet Murders, the performance was nothing short of silly holiday fun. With songs set to Tchaikovsky’s original music, the play sets two sides of a family against each other. Resentful and spiteful, The Nutcrackers and The Sweets are forced to spend Christmas together despite their hate of one another. Like so many families with traditions, their tradition is bleak. Someone dies every year, of natural causes no less. And on this particular holiday, an old uncle with an aversion to nutmeg mysteriously dies in his sleep.

Typical of WhoDunnit shows, this show is double cast and I saw the Red Cast. Each player brought large and energetic performances to their stock character roles. In a small performance space such as the Bristol’s, the cast was able to mix and mingle with audience members to help figure out who killed the ill-fated uncle between acts. A perfect time to lean into improvisational skills and ramp up the performances, character interactions became more comfortable as the show progressed.

Beth Olliges had fun as the super sensitive to the point of tears Trifle. Martin Brooks took big swings as the dorky Saccrin while Richard Ray’s Walnott suffered no fools or nonsense. Tiger Rogers’ mysterious Roger Dodger provided some well-played improvisation and character choices for an otherwise secretive stranger. Jessica Vautard and Jacob Arnold were flustered kids with a big secret as Almondine and Cane. By the time their secret is revealed, the timing provides for an impactful misdirect and effective punchline.

 There is plenty of Christmas spirit in WhoDunnit’s current offering of The Nutcracker-Sweet Murders. With fighting families, traditions and nutmeg poisoning, the play has plenty of twists and turns. And with Christmas just a few days away, it provides some lighthearted fun too.

Red Cast: Jessica Vautard, Susan Brooks, Richard Ray, Jacob Arnold, Shelly Marquart Reid, Martin Brooks, Tiger Rogers Green Cast: Brooke Paige, Susan Brooks, John Lina, Dani Storey, Beth Olliges, Graham Troop, John Thwing

The Nutcracker-Sweet Murders WhoDunnit Murder Mystery Theater Friday & Saturday evenings, December 6-21, 2024 Saturday evening, January 4, 2025 The Bristol Bar & Grille Downtown 614 West Main Street whodunnit-ky.com.