Post Mortem: HOW TO SOLVE A MURDER

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Welcome to Post Mortem! This is where Master Mystery Productions looks back on the performance of its most recent show.

It’s the Roaring Twenties beloved by Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. A train speeding across the English countryside. It’s bound for the city of Beddington, and its currently home to an infamous investigator. At least, he thinks he’s infamous. Archibals Reeves has found a new hobby, which sets his beleagured valet, Brewster, on edge. Crime is his hobby; Solving murders is his latest passion. And with a doctor’s murder making headlines, Reeves dives patent leathers first into the case without the least knowledge in how to be a detective. Ah but that won’t stop him. Because with his own particular brand of genius (in his own mind), we will show all the passengers, train staff, police, and audience members exactly How to Solve a Murder.

Odd thing to bring onboard a train.

Master Mystery Productions got an email from Hall of Fame Artist Janis Kunz about a special, secret project she was working on in lockdown: her very first play! Then titled The 2.30 to Beddington, the play was a loving homage to P. G. Wodehouse’s “Jeeves and Wooster” stories, filled with wit and charm and a perfect Golden Age of Detective Fiction gloss over the show. With some expert tweaking by Director Daniel Stallings to help focus the show into its final form, the script became a delightful and devilish romp into armchair detectives. It became our mission to see this new play by a new voice produced in the very near future. Finding a new venue in the VFW Ship 4084, we realized this dream in November of 2023.

Reeves (played by Daniel Stallings) and Brewster (Murolo Patchin) discuss Dr. Rutherford’s death by stabbing in his hospital.
Nora Littleton (Devanne Fredette) shows off her skills as an actress with a brief speech from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Mrs. Holly (Madeleine Smith) drops a little gossip on Dr. Rutherford while maintaining a stranglehold on Reeves’ arm.

Reeves’ impassioned sleuthing on the train lands him in hot water with the conductor, the passengers, and even the dead as he cheerfully stumbles over secrets (and misplaced bodies). Brewster, ever at the ready, often swoops in to extract his master from all those scrapes. Caught moving a dead body to a luggage car? Well, clearly there was some Worcestershire sauce on Reeves’ shoe and there’s absolutely nothing to see behind them. The conductor spies you in a forbidden car? Well, you just needed privacy for your singing lessons (aided by a hilariously awful performance by Daniel Stallings). The passengers may seem like everyday people, but a snake slithers in their midst. Could it be Lillianne Highmore, the bookworm with a craving for excitement, danger, adventure, and romance in her life? Could it be Mrs. Holly, the vague, slightly scatterbrained Miss Marple-type who inherits a “five-bedroom manor house with its own walled garden”? Could it be Mortimer, a nervous banker always clutching his briefcase? What about Nora Littleton, the actress who decides to one-up Mr. Reeves by taking on the mantle of Sherlock Holmes with Lillianne as her Watson? What about the decideedly suspicious Sorenson and Bentley with their extra-long, extra-mysterious baggage they smuggled onboard? Even Reeves and Brewster aren’t above suspicion.

Nora, in character as Sherlock, accuses Mortimer (Anton Patchin) of suspicious behavior.
Brewster discovers the unfortunate doctor’s body…
Searching passengers baggage.
Nora and Lillianne (Nicole Johnson) eavesdrop on the enigmatic Sorenson (Allison Mitchell) and Bentley (Libby Mitchell).

Antics such as searching each others’ compartments and luggage, hiding bodies, eavesdropping with stethoscopes, and lying about lobster dinners abound. Audiences cackled as Reeves tries on theatre costumes in a suitcase to show off his skills as an actor…to Brewster’s dismay. Eyes rolled as Reeves insisted on his mighty brainpower, only to be outwitted by his fellow travelers. But the lingering question of Dr. Rutherford’s murder remained? Who stabbed him seven times in the back? How did they enter the hospital unnoticed? What motive could there be? And why won’t anyone tell Reeves to stop trying to solve the murder? When fire breaks out and all heck breaks loose, How to Solve a Murder makes Murder on the Orient Express look like a pleasure trip. And let’s not forget our puppet Chief Constable coming to regain order. All to the hoots, howls, and cheers of our audience. Closing night was especially wonderful with the audience in full riotous laughter at the madness on the train. This was certainly one journey to remember.

Lillianne discusses with the Conductor (Janis Kunz) if he’s seen anything suspicious onboard. Given his encounters with Reeves, he certainly has a lot to say,
Caught in the act!
Reeves playing the part of a maid in this evening’s murder investigation.

Crowds had lots of fun at How to Solve a Murder, particularly commending Janis’ skilled craftsmanship in writing the play. Some even believed the play was a professionally published project we bought rights for, a major compliment for a new playwright with her first produced work. We kept the story going throughout the night with guests signing our passenger manifest when they entered the venue, train whistles and timely announcements from the Conductor (who always stayed in character), period music provided by Jordan and Britta Covert of Moe’s Music, and even the passengers waiting at the “train station” at the start of the show. Lively, fun, and immersive, the play was a delight to perform. Jessica Weston, in her last theatrical review, especially praised Janis’ script and the aura it captured.

Reviews for How to Solve a Murder

Closing night is our traditional awards night. First up was The Skeleton Key Award for Service Above and Beyond, our company’s oldest award. Each plaque is designed to uniquely reflect the show it was made for, making the Skeleton Key Award a symbol of an individual putting their unique heart and soul into a Master Mystery Production, going above and beyond their assigned jobs in the show to make it the best it can be. They are inspirations to us in the company, and they remain celebrated in our programs and on our website for years to come. Congratulations Tori Mitchell for winning the Skeleton Key Award for How to Solve a Murder!

Award for How to Solve a Murder
Congratulations Tori!

Following the Skeleton Key, we presented the coveted Diamond Mask Awards for Excellence in Performance. Voted by audiences, guests select their nominees for the award based on the performances they liked best. The actors with the most votes win. On their first win, they receive a special diamond pin and subsequent wins will receive a diamond chain to create a cascade of diamonds. Four people won the award for How to Solve a Murder, and they were the first actors to have their awards announced by a puppet: the Chief Constable! Congratulations to Devanne Fredette, Janis Kunz, Daniel Stallings, and Murolo Patchin for your Diamond Mask-winning performances!

Devanne Fredette’s remarkable skill with nuance onstage has long been her trademark as a performer. Her enormous range of skills from comedic timing to tragic backstory are in evidence whenever she steps foot onstage, and it all crystallized perfectly in her creation of Nora Littleton, a spunky and spitfire actress-turned-possible-princess. Devanne’s talent allowed her to capture all the wide diversity of feelings in Nora from her gentle sweetness to her scheming sarcasm to her intense loneliness to her white-hot fury to her playful silliness. Her finale alone gave everyone goosebumps, and she made audience members laugh, cry, and think in equal measure. As such, five years to the day of her first win, Devanne was crowned with her well-deserved and long-overdue SECOND Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance for this masterclass of acting as Nora Littleton, a moment that made her director jump and cheer when she won. Bravo, Devanne, on your Diamond Mask winning performance!
Janis Kunz was not only our playwright, but also our fearless Conductor for this hapless train trip. Greeting the guests at the front door to welcome them, Janis never dropped character even for one moment while she punched their tickets, built the passenger manifest for the voyage, or helped them with their arrangements. And once onstage, our Conductor had to tangle with the eccentricities of the exhausting Archibald Reeves and his detective antics and the threat of a murderer lurking onboard. In a shocking twist, Janis also was the puppeteer behind our hilarious Chief Constable puppet, who actually announced the Diamond Masks, making him the first puppet in MMP history to do so. Janis’ intense commitment to the part whenever an audience member was around, never once shifting or dropping character, is beyond admirable and her sly charm and ability to command any role she is given awarded her her THIRD Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance. Congrats Janis!
Daniel Stallings helmed the production as our leading disaster detective Archibald Reeves, an armchair amateur sleuth with wealth and no idea what he’s doing. Playing Reeves with a chaotic whimsy, Daniel made audiences guffaw as his character constantly got into trouble on the train. Whether it was singing badly to disguise the fact he and his valet were hiding a body, sneaking into compartments to search for clues (and pocketing a bigger magnifying glass than his own), singing his own praises despite all eveidence to the contrary, or getting the brush off for a man in uniform, Daniel’s performance was, as he described, “full tilt mad” in the best possible way. His deep commitment to the role and willingness to go all out to get that extra laugh was admirable and fun to watch, and audiences loved his performance. Let’s just hope his Reeves doesn’t decide to join the theatre as his next hobby! Daniel’s fun and funny performance earned him his THIRD Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance. Bravo, Daniel!
Murolo Patchin has had stellar run at MMP, blossoming as an actor with a gift for facial expressions and the ability to communicate a rainbow of emotions with just the quirk of a lip or slant of an eye. Sanity and side-eye were the watchwords of his portrayal of the hampered Brewster, valet to the overly enthusiastic Reeves. Murolo conveyed so much even with Brewster’s taciturn style of speech that he was deeply memorable no matter what the circumstances. Capturing the humor in the quiet observer is no easy feat, and Murolo’s sharp skill conquered the challenge, balancing the manic energy of his scene partners and grounding the play as a whole. Audiences awarded him his SECOND Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance for his exquisite acting and establishing himself as a talent on the rise. Phenomenal work, Murolo!

Putting on a show is seldom flawless. One can always expect complications along the way. But when times are difficult and challenges arise, some people find the strength and dedication to help us cross the finish line. We are forever grateful to these individuals. We awarded three Special Commendations to Devanne Fredette, Janis Kunz, and Nicole Johnson as an expression of tremendous gratitude for their work on the show and willingness to step up and help in times of difficulty. They took on larger roles after a major casting shake-up happened two months into the production and remained flexible and took on more work. To say we are grateful is an understatement. Congratulations to our Special Commendation superstars!

Congrats Devanne, Janis, and Nicole!

The Partners in Crime Award was created to honor the guest writers who contribute their fabulous talents to the creation of a Master Mystery Production. Each award is customized based on the show the writer works on. Without their contributions in the forms of ideas or actual writing, our amazing shows would never happen.

Congratulations to Janis Kunz for winning the Partners in Crime Award for How to Solve a Murder! With this award, she becomes only the second person in MMP history to win all the company awards!

Then there came the most prestigious award of the night: The Founder’s Award for a Year of Outstanding Service. This award is one of the hardest to achieve at Master Mystery Productions and is the company’s highest honor. It is given to an individual, company, organization, etc. who has gone above and beyond to promote and grow Master Mystery Productions over the course of an entire production year, in this case from January to November. The winners of this award have stood out as some of the most dedicated members of the company and have done so much to make Master Mystery Productions one of the best theatre producers in the area.

Nicole Johnson worked on all three productions this year–The Sky’s the Limit, Tourist Trap, and How to Solve a Murder. Both onstage and backstage, she has lent her voice and her skills to the company and our shows. She served as Stage Crew and Costume Crew for The Sky’s the Limit, working both in Bakersfield at Hodel’s and in Ridgecrest at Moe’s Music on the performances. She worked with her director and costume designers on sewing costumes for the show in the midst of a hailstorm. She returned to act in Tourist Trap as kooky Della Reeves, a hilarious portrayal that earned her her fifth Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance. Her work extended beyond acting for the show as she assisted in the creation of the 3D pop-up map used in the show, making dozens of little creosote bushes out of cut strips of maps. She learned additional makeup skills and worked on her hair design for the show. On How to Solve a Murder, she became an eleventh hour superhero. Originally stage crew, Nicole took up the mantle of major character Lillianne Highmore when the original performer was unable to complete the production about a month out from opening night. She learned her script after only 9 rehearsals, created her costume, hair, and makeup design in 3 days, and was valuable in keeping the show alive at a critical stage. After all, the show must go on, and she took to the show like a duck to water. She served as prompter for off book rehearsals alongside Tori Mitchell and worked as a set dresser and stage crew. She would help set up the set for rehearsals and performances, assisted in packing and unpacking at the VFW and loading and unloading off-site. She created extra ballots for the closing night performance when we were short. She worked extra hours and longer nights to help mount the productions. For her immense help in keeping How to Solve a Murder afloat, Nicole was awarded a Special Commendation from Master Mystery Productions. And all year long, she shared and promoted the MMP season. Nicole was present, showed initiative, was willing to work when she was needed, and allowed us to end the season strong. For her work across the year, we awarded Nicole the Founder’s Award for a Year of Outstanding Service for 2023. Congratulations Nicole!

Congratulations Nicole!

An extra surprise came upon us at the close of the year, accounting for the delay in this production’s Post Mortem. Jessica Weston, a longtime reporter and theatrical critic for Ridgecrest’s The Daily Independent has now retired from journalistic writing for a new career. She has been a vocal supporter of MMP since Goodbye Hollywood, our second ever show back in 2015. She has supported the arts community as a whole, frequently writing about the performances from many companies in the area. No matter where we went, Jessica helped us bring audience members and a growing collection of genius artists into the world of theatre. We cannot overstate how vital she was to our community. As such, on New Year’s Day 2023, we at Master Mystery Productions created a Special Founder’s Award to honor Jessica Weston for all her work, love, and support not just for MMP but for the arts community as a whole from 2015 to 2023. She is the first winner of this kind of special award, and we couldn’t think of a more deserving champion. Congratulations, Jessica! We love you so much. Thank you for everything.

Congratulations, Jessica!

How to Solve a Murder was a chance for us to introduce and celebrate a brand new playwright, which is always an exciting venture. The roles were big, boisterous, and bright, the dialgoue witty, and the scenario zany. In some cases, it was the most fun the actors ever had onstage. And there’s nothing like a fresh story and fresh talent to really energize your spirits for a new season. It was a fantastic way to close out 2023. Bravo, everyone who was involved in the production.

The Chief Constable takes matters in hand.

2023 has been quite a journey for Master Mystery Productions. Literally and metaphorically. With our transportation themed season, we sailed the skies in a steampunk airship, fought with family on the open road, and learned how not to solve a murder on the rails. There were laughs, shocks, twists, and turns as befitting any long journey. We are at journey’s end now. But don’t fret, we are already cooking up new schemes and dreams for MMP in 2024.

See you in the new year, everybody!

–Master Mystery Productions

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