Jess Schuknecht
Whodunnit? Casem AbuLughod plays Jeremy, a book buyer.
A spurious and creepy group of random individuals. A mysterious murder that takes place when the lights go out. The murder weapon lying on the floor next to a dead body. No, it’s not a game of Clue. It’s Murder Mystery, the new two-act play by Are We Delicious?
If you aren’t familiar with Are We Delicious?, the company creates a play in one week with eight writer/actors. Usually, the group — which changes with each show — performs eight individual plays. But Murder Mystery is a wholly conceived endeavor: Ensemble members have not only invented their own characters but somehow figured out how they all go together in a tight, often laugh-out-loud plot. Agatha Christie would be proud.
The play takes place in an antique bookstore called, appropriately enough, First Draft, run by counter girl Penny (Bree Prehn), book buyer Jeremy (Casem AbuLughod, and general busybody Teegan (Amber McReynolds). There’s a wealthy entrepreneur who longs to buy the store, Mike Lardonbois (Jason Stephens), and a rich heiress, Leia Singer (Malissa Petterson), who’d rather hang out in the dusty reading room than her lonely mansion. Adding further intrigue are visiting Southern writer Marvel Delaney (Matt Sloan), book counterfeiter Hazel Thornton (William Bolz) and, finally, Greta Haugen (Karen Moeller), the wacky next door neighbor — a vegan chef who arrives clutching a dead bunny.
Got all that? It’s far less complicated than it sounds, and the ensemble does an excellent job keeping the intersecting plots streamlined and relatable. Honestly, I’m less impressed that they wrote this show in a week than that they edited it in such a short amount of time. Everyone knows a mystery has to tie up all loose ends plausibly, while at the same time stringing you along.
Are We Delicious? “impresario” Tony Trout wants audiences to know he’s placing his ensemble in a crisis situation on purpose. It’s a way, he says, of making great work. It’s also a lot of fun. There are some genuine belly shakers in Murder Mystery, such as any time Moeller’s spacy vegan invades the bookstore.
Did I mention there’s also a prize party at intermission?
I’ve been sworn off revealing any spoilers, but I will say I was surprised by both who died and whodunit. Is this company delicious? If madcap mystery is your dish, you’ll definitely appreciate what they cooked up.
