MURDER AT THE MUSIC HALL - Mobile Mystery Dinners

*MURDER AT THE MUSIC HALL

The year is 1866. The setting is the post civil war south. The so-called radical Republicans in Congress are ‘reconstructing’ the conquered south. We never meet Mr. Mortle, but he is the owner of a vaudeville troupe, the Unvanquished Players. He is cruel, crude and manipulative.

He has mistreated everyone in his life and therefore has many enemies. He is currently taking advantage of Judge Cotton’s financial desperation to use the grand Cotton Mansion as a Music Hall for his vaudeville cabaret style review.

The guests are seated at tables, as patrons there to watch the Music Hall show. They are joined at the tables at the outset by two of our characters - a Union officer and a society lady. A European countess and an undertaker arrive late and also join the guests. Judge Cotton takes a seat among the guests at one point as well. Other characters come in and out and sometimes loiter about as members of the Troupe. As the show begins we realize Mortle is missing. The plot develops from there. Where is he? Has he been the victim of foul play? It seems everyone has a motive. Ultimately we discover, shockingly, that Mortle has in fact been murdered. As the show concludes, we discover the secrets of several characters, and finally, the murderer confesses! The show utilizes piano for vocal accompaniment, and snare drum, bass drum, cymbals and cowbell for miscellaneous rim-shots and vaudeville style sound affects.

Characters
Judge Cotton - He is the owner of the grand Cotton Mansion. A respected lawyer and former Judge, due to hard times after the war he is forced to accept the offer of Mr Mortle to let his troupe,

The Guvner - He is the lead member of the troupe - the master of ceremonies. Mortle holds a mortgage on his mother’s home and threatens to foreclose it should the Guvner ever quit the Troupe. He sings the opening number Hello, What’s in the Papers Tomorrow, and the closing Farewell.

Dash Worthington - The leading man in the troupe. He purports to be from England, where he has left a family behind and misses them. He sings Hello, I Will Be There, and Almost like A New Day.

Prop Fetcher - the stage hand. He is desperately in love with Mimosa, but it is unrequited. Mimosa tells us how Prop hated Mortle due to the way Mortle treated Mimosa. He sings the uptempo When Im By Myself and I Willl Be There.

Spade Shadows - undertaker, grave digger. He was somehow involved in the death, and clearly the funeral, of Mortle’s brother 20 years earlier, for which funeral he was never paid by Mortle. He admits he arrived early to meet with Mortle and was was seen leaving Mortle’s office counting money. He sings Living with the Shadows.

Major Art Screw - Union occupation officer, appointed as mayor, sheriff and judge over the town so to speak. Waiting patiently for the chance to levy against Cotton’s mansion at some point for the high taxes.

Mrs. Righteous Highbrow - Morally strict society lady who seems friendly with Major Screw and obviously not particularly loyal to South. She is determined to rid the town of Mortle and what she considers a trashy vaudeville show.

Mimosa Dogwood - The leading lady of the troupe. Sings Hello, On A Night Such As This, and I Will Be There. She was heard by Dash fighting with Mortle.

Sweet Pea - Mortle’s orphaned niece, the costume girl. She holds an unrequited love for Prop. She reveals she was angry at Mortle for not giving her money to buy clothes. Sings Whats On Your Mind? and the brief Russian Winter.

Ivana Takitov - a Countess of Eastern European birth. Former member of the troupe years ago. She had a relationship with Mortle’s brother 20 years earlier until Mortle killed him. She sings the short Russian Winter and The Dance. She is very angry at Mortle.

Filimina Diller - Follows the show in hope of being a dancer one day. Mortle uses her for free kitchen help. She read his diary and discovered he never intended to use her at all for a dancer which stirred up a rage within her!