“If you listen closely, you practically can hear Donatella Violetta’s voice in the very bricks and canals of Venice.  She’s the voice of the city.”

Master Mystery Productions is letting music fill the air in our eighteenth show this spring.  At one of the most magical venues we have ever performed in, a murder mystery rich in emotion, power, and drama will take the stage.  Take a gondola ride with us as we travel through time to the grandest of opera houses for a story steeped in passion, heartbreak, and vengeance.  Hear a mother’s vow in…

EXIT PRIMA DONNA

Venice, 1899.  The company of a grand opera house plans to throw a masquerade ball to celebrate the end of another successful season.  However, before the masks are donned and the festivities begin, Leonora, dresser at the opera house, bursts onstage in a panic as Donatella Violetta, the prima donna, has been kidnapped.  With her cries ignored and mocked, Leonora vows to take a solo vigil throughout the night until news of Donatella reaches her.  But the players return to find Leonora as a sleeping beauty, murdered from pricking her finger on a needle tainted with belladonna.  Was Leonora the intended victim?  Or did someone want to make the prima donna exit the stage forever?  Before the masks fall, a killer will take the spotlight and demand the ultimate price: a human life.  Enter the gilded glamour of the opera at the end of the 19^th century for a magical, musical, and murderous journey into the secret, shadowy corners of the human heart.    Passion.  Loyalty.  Obsession.  Revenge.  They all have a front row seat at what could be the prima donna’s last exit.

Exit Prima Donna, a murder mystery masquerade opera, is our first collaboration with the legendary Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction in California.  A beautiful and unique space, the opera house was reinvigorated by New York ballerina Marta Becket who fell in love with it on trip to Death Valley.  It’s known for its detailed and jaw-dropping murals with cover the walls and ceiling, painted by Marta Becket herself, so that she would always have an audience when she performed.  This desert icon, famously rumored to be haunted, will serve as the exquisite backdrop for our opera.  Powerful music and brilliant acting will ignite on that stage to bring the world a truly magical experience.

Exit Prima Donna marks the second time music has featured prominently in one our shows, the first being Bury Me in Paris and its jazz musician in spring 2017.  It’s our largest cast to date, featuring some of our recent bright stars at MMP and introducing some brilliant new talent to our company.  Watch as a tight and poisonous circle of opera stars from the 19th century gather backstage to surmise theories about Donatella’s disappearance…and the murder that rattles them all.  Was Donatella really kidnapped?  Is this just a stunt?  Or has a menacing presence left its indelible mark upon all their souls.  Exit Prima Donna is one of our best crafted stories yet.

Lavish costumes, enchanting music, a venue that’s its own magical wonderland, and a story full of intensity, heart, and surprise.  That is what Exit Prima Donna will bring to Death Valley this spring.  It’s a show we believe will make history for us and for this corner of our world.  We are so excited to bring this once-in-a-lifetime experience to you.

Exit Prima Donna performs all Saturdays: March 24, March 31, April 7, and April 14 at 2 p.m. at Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction.  Tickets will be $30 each and are sold through the Amargosa Opera House Front Desk.  It is highly recommend tickets be purchased in advance. The Front Desk number is (760) 852-4441 and patrons should reference Exit Prima Donna and have their credit card ready; they can also process ticket purchases through receipt of a hard copy check (but prefer credit card). Tickets are non-refundable.  If you are traveling from the Ridgecrest area, it is a three hour drive to the venue, so please plan accordingly when making your trip to see the show.  There are stops in Stovepipe Wells for food, gas, and other facilities.

Save the dates and join us for a magical, musical, and murderous adventure through Venice.  You don’t want to miss out!  The prima donna awaits her audience.

Benvenuto to…

EXIT PRIMA DONNA!

We hope to see you at the show!

–Master Mystery Productions