Once upon a time, there was a writer and a trunk full of clues. A father’s will. A cocktail glass. A pearl earring. And a deadly hatpin. Over the course of an evening, two shady characters would fall, a host of suspects asked questions and accused each other, and Murder at the Red Fez would enter the history books. Our classic Jazz Age mystery has seen many reiterations over the years. It’s not every show that gets the chance to be revived four times after its original performance. Now our most popular Master Mystery Production, performing in places such as Las Vegas and on Zoom, is getting the red carpet treatment for the first time in twelve years. New script. New drama. Surprises and scandals at every turn. Learn how we breathed new life into this classic MMP mystery in this behind-the-scenes blog post!

FIFTH TIME’S THE CHARM: The Making of Murder at the Red Fez (Part 1)

In 2013, two years before MMP itself was officially born, MMP Founder Daniel Stallings received a unique commission from the Red Hat Ladies of Bakersfield. They had been scouting for an interactive murder mystery out of a box for a party they wanted to hold. A chance remark–“You know, he writes mysteries, and he used to create his own interactive mystery parties when he was a teenager.”–began a new adventure. Without a name, actors, or a stage, Stallings crafted Murder at the Red Fez from his first client’s wishes: a 1920’s speakeasy mystery with flappers and gangsters. Something fun, flashy, and fabulous. Inspired by the Agatha Christie novels he loved, he wrote a cunning, twisty little mystery where eveyone was a suspect and nothing was as it seemed. The original version included flappers, gangsters, an organization inspired by suffragettes, and speakeasy staff in a mix more potent than a poisoned cocktail. The very first performance was the most simple: Stallings brought out a trunk of individual clues–physical objects left at the scene of the crime. He would present the clue (as a mysterious bartender named John Cavendish) and have the guests, who played the suspects, ask questions about the clues. Where was the hatpin located? Where did you find the will? Did they know about this secret? Little by little (and murder by murder), they would piece together the clues to form a picture. And one of them would be found guilty. Many of those original clues still survive from that initial production and will return for the 2025 show.

Murder at the Red Fez features lots of little references to popular media about the 1920’s. Our first client had one specific request: a character named Millie after a favorite musical of hers, Thoroughly Modern Millie. In the original iteration, we had a Velma and a Roxie for the musical, Chicago. John Cavendish is a reference to Agatha Christie’s first Hercule Poirot novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, first published in 1920. “Mickey the Muckler” came from Stallings’ father. As the show was revived in subsequent years, characters were dropped in favor of smaller groups and tighter storytelling. The six characters present in the 2025 production are the most stable ones to survive revival after revival. Murder at the Red Fez remains our most popular show, having been performed in Bakersfield, Ridgecrest, Las Vegas, and even on Zoom during the pandemic lockdowns. It’s versatility cannot be underestimated. After all, who doesn’t love a 1920’s flapper mystery? But when it came time to decide on a show for our 10th anniversary this year, we thought this show deserved its much-awaited Showstopper version with set, costumes, makeup, and actors. Where to hold this celebratory show?

Moe’s Music, located at 207 W. Ridgecrest Blvd., is a record and music store with a stage fit for live bands and acts to perform. The feel of the room is very raw, underground, and reminded us of a nightclub. We first performed there in May 2022 with Closer to Heaven and returned for productions of Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival and The Sky’s the Limit in April 2023. The venue–always a starting point for our designs–already possesses an underground club feel to it. It made a great nightclub for Closer to Heaven. Now we were going to bring to life a Jazz Age speakeasy. We’re keeping the environment very intimate, letting a live band take over the stage while we turned the house into the stage. Actors will sit and gossip with the audience. Catfights might break out. Secrets will unfirl right in front of your eyes. You are a part of the drama without needing to say a word. The intimate nature of this production heightens the drama and makes it one of the most fun shows to be a spectator for. Immersive and imaginative, we’re keeping the lights low and letting the twinkle of mirrorballs (Yes, they did exist in speakeasies in the 1920’s), costume jewelry, and the suspects’ shifty eyes illuminate the shady secrets hidden in the Red Fez. To increase the immersion, we added a secret password to the tickets to enter the speakeasy proper. The newly imagined script contains new clues and secrets never before presented with the show in any of its previous iterations as well as TWO brilliant casts of wonderful performers.

But that’s not all. To plus the show even more, we’ve included music–It’s performing in Moe’s Music after all. Since 2013, one of the characters, Diamond LaPore, was a loung singer. For the first time in Red Fez‘s history, Diamond will sing backed by our very own Red Fez band. Jazz music will play throughout the night, and other guest soloists will perform numbers at intermission. We are encouraging our audience members to dress up as well to really plunge into the Jazz Age aesthetic. The show isn’t just in front of you; It’s happening all around you. And that’s what makes Murder at the Red Fez even more fun!

Are you ready to slip on the glad rags and go stop a gangster? Well, first let’s find out who are six sinister (yet sparkling) suspects are. Hear what our two casts have to say about their characters in The Sea of Gin-Softened Faces Around You: The Making of Murder at the Red Fez (Part 2)!

And remember to snatch your tickets before they disappear! They are on sale now at Red Rock Books in Ridgecrest.

–Master Mystery Productions