Post Mortem: MURDER AT THE RED FEZ 2025 REVIVAL

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Velma Sloane (played by Elaine Stewart) gets into a catfight with Millie Carraway (Libby Mitchell).

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

A dozen years ago, we got a special request before “we” even became a thing. Bring the glitz, glamour, and gangsters of the 1920’s to a private party in Bakersfield. Little did the Red Hat Ladies or the rest of us know that that unassuming little trunk show performed in someone’s living room would blossom into a future theatrical experience with a complimentary drink, live jazz music, an immersive set, and talented actors trading comebacks and accusations after a notorious gangster is murdered. Humble beginnings have grown into glamorous futures as our first Master Mystery Production got into its best glad rags to play our 37th production we call Murder at the Red Fez.

The Red Hat Ladies of Bakersfield at Murder at the Red Fez in 2013. Photo courtesy of Jeannie Johnson.

Murder at the Red Fez started with a hatpin and a dream. The original version took a lot of inspiration from Agatha Christie novels like Lord Edgware Dies and After the Funeral, the musicals Chicago and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and even from writer/director Daniel Stallings’ own family–Mickey the Muckler is a reference to Stallings’ father, for instance. Only ten clues were needed to solve that twisted little crime, and the success of that venture led us to launch Master Mystery Productions two years later. Now a decade of drama (the good kind that stays onstage) has passed, and we tried to think of a way to celebrate our tenth anniversary with style. Why not return to the show that started it all? So Murder at the Red Fez got a new script and a healthy coating of glitter, sequins, and sparkles.

The two casts of Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival.

We returned to Moe’s Music, now under new ownership, for the first time since Spring 2023’s The Sky’s the Limit. And we transformed it into a speakeasy for two weekends only. Guests checked in at the front door where they received their instructions. The secret password for the Red Fez was “oyster fruit”–gangster slang for pearls–which they gave to the bouncer. They would receive a complimentary Red Fizz–a mocktail made from cranapple juice and lemon-lime soda–from the bartender. And then plunge into the shadowy speakeasy where Blue Creosote, a local jazz band, would start playing music. One of two casts–Cast A and B–would perform that night. Soon, an evening of glamorous flappers, dangerous gangsters, murder, mayhem, and martinis would fill the Red Fez.

Guests dressed to the nines for the show.
Members of Blue Creosote, the jazz band that played during the show
Patrick O’Rourke (Calvin Johnson) serves as the bouncer for the speakeasy, waiting for the secret password. John Cavendish (Anton Patchin) is tending the bar.
Paparazzi (Briona Stewart and Murolo Patchin) invade the Red Fez, hoping to snag a shot of the reclusive heiress, Velma Sloane.

Diamond LaPore opened the show with a beautiful jazz number highlighting her inner tormented past. On her cheek, a diamond tear falls. What is she remembering as she sings? In the shadows hide two figures–Mickey the Muckler and his moll, Scarlet O’Halloran. What are they talking about? Some special gift for Scarlet? Mickey’s low profile? As the music fades, so do our mysterious victims. And the tension revs into high gear. What information does flapper heiress Millie Carraway have on the bouncer? Why is the famous heiress Velma Sloane hide from the paparazzi’s flashbulb? Does Elizabeth Buchanan know someone at the club? But before the ice melts in the cocktails, Mickey gets iced by a hatpin to the back of his head. And Patrick, his brother and manager, is in a fury. He orders a lockdown on the speakeasy until he finds the one responsible for the murder.

Opening number from the sparkling Diamond LaPore (Cat Kreidt), featuring Blue Creosote.
Diamond LaPore (Elise Bechtel) cuts Patrick down to size for his insinuations that her songs aren’t “bouncy” enough.
Millie Carraway (Olivia Holm) threatens Patrick with some secrets he’s been hiding from his brother, Mickey.
Eliabeth Buchanan (Leslie Blake) mingles with the guests while spilling gossip about the other flappers.
John and Elizabeth Buchanan (Beth Sparks-Jacques) seem to recognize each other. Is there a secret past between them?

Over intermission, some of our actors performed musical numbers to keep the jazz flowing. Thank you to Calvin Johnson, Elaine Stewart, and Devanne Fredette for your beautiful voices. Then the second act started with a scream. Velma has found Scarlet poisoned in her private booth! Potassium cyanide seems to be the culprit. Just what is going on here tonight? The staff has gathered evidence from the crime scenes behind Patick’s back. Catfights erupt as increasingly inebriated flappers spill secrets about each other. And Diamond is forced to confront her past loves and losses. Who could have snuffed Mickey and Scarlet? That was what our intrepid audience of sleuths had to uncover.

Calvin Johnson performs “Am I Blue?” at intermission for the guests.
Velma (Devanne Fredette) and Millie start to insult each other.
Joan Cavendish (Allison Mitchell) reveals the murder weapon: a pearl hatpin.
Elizabeth notices an odd smell in Scarlet’s cocktail glass. Bitter almonds?

John and Elizabeth discuss a will they found in Mickey’s office.

Audiences loved the show, some calling it our best yet. We had patrons dress to the nines for the occasion. Our original clients–the Red Hat Ladies of Bakersfield–attended the first matinee and loved the additions to the story and the new, glamorous vibe with live music and drinks. The singers were praised. Guests loved the interactive feel with the flappers dishing the tea directly to them, making them laugh and playing along when shade was thrown. We had really invested audiences across the show dates, and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for playing along with all the fun. The show was so well-received that guests are still making references to it to us even days later. Bravo, everyone involved!

Devanne Fredette performs “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” at intermission.

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. This production was extra special as the very first Skeleton Key Award winner for the original Murder at the Red Fez attended the show and passed on the torch to the current winner. Thank you, Jeannie Johnson! And congratulations Elise Bechtel for winning the Skeleton Key Award for Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival!

Awards for Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival
Congratulations Elise!
Two Skeleton Key Winners meet.

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. Six people won the award for Murder at the Red Fez, three for each cast. Congratulations to Libby Mitchell, Elaine Stewart, Elise Bechtel, Olivia Holm, Devanne Fredette, and Cat Kreidt for your Diamond Mask-winning performances!

With a sharp eye and a sharper tongue, Libby Mitchell’s portrayal of the feisty Millie Carraway in Cast A held nothing back as she cut down gangsters, heiresses, singers, and staff down to size. Flirty yet fiery, Libby injected all the sarcasm and swagger she could into every saucy one-liner Millie jabs at unsuspecting bystanders. An actress of stupendous energy, Libby never flagged as she got into spirited catfights with stressed-out heiresses, made audiences laugh with her knife-like comebacks, and blackmailed gangsters with her surprising knowledge of secrets. Libby balanced Millie’s darkness and humor flawlessly, and guests awarded her with her first Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance. Bravo, Libby!
Elaine Stewart has a powerhouse persona and a big voice which fit perfectly with the emotional range displayed by haughty Old Money heiress, Velma Sloane, for Cast A. Yes, THAT Velma Sloane. She expertly navigated the highs and lows of her character from the icy, empress-like reserve to the fiery temper that explodes when she feels challenged. She also delivered a stunning musical performance at intermission with “Just One of Those Things.” Elaine’s energy onstage filled the room night after night, and audiences loved it and awarded her her very first Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance for her role. Congrats, Elaine!
Elise Bechtel’s finely nuanced portrayal of lounge singer Diamond LaPore in Cast A broke hearts performance after performance. The singer with a shadowy past she’d rather keep buried was a dynamic character full of possibility, and Elise’s icy rendition resonated with guests each time. Her clean, clear singing echoed across the speakeasy as she recalled the numberous heartbreaks that built her into the woman she was informed much of her character–from the first melody of “After You’ve Gone” to the last dying note of “Stardust.” Elise captured it all with grace, sparkle, and style. As such, patrons voted for her to receive her first Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance for her sparkling acting for Diamond LaPore. Bravo, Elise!
Lucky seven is the name of the game here, and Olivia Holm is the winner of her seventh Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance for her role as Millie Carraway in Cast B. Sassy, sarcastic, savvy, and sloshed, our cocktail-quaffing queen showed no mercy as she strutted across the speakeasy yelling “Barkeep!,” tapped cigarette ash on unsuspecting victims, and eyed the bouncer and bar with similar degrees of interest. Olivia proved once again her skill as an actress as she nailed the balance between Millie’s darker, dramatic side and her frivolous, fun-loving side. Audiences laughed at her savage quips and gave Olivia this iconic seventh win. Way to go, Olivia!
Devanne Fredette delivered her most explosive performance yet with a powerful rendition of heiress Velma Sloane for Cast B. Her cool demeanor, fractured by the paranoid belief of someone following her, led to a volcanic eruption of temper onstage as Millie’s needling goes too far and stolen pearls threaten the lives of all those present. Devanne’s electrifying delivery as her emotions sped from 0 to 100 shocked even those of us who had worked with her show after show, leading her director to call it her best performance yet. The audiences awarded Devanne with her third Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance for this staggering portrayal. Bravo, Devanne!
Cat Kreidt’s brassier, bolder take on lounge singer Diamond LaPore for Cast B resonated with audiences across her performances as she seduced them with sass and song. With gorgeous renditions of “Smile” and “I’ve Got Rhythm,” Cat backed up her beautiful musical talent with enchanting acting with both funny quips and heartrending backstory. Her scene exposing a tortured background of lost love and lost lives brought tears to our eyes. Cat’s stellar performance earned her her fifth Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance, further cementing her legacy as one of our greatest acting talents. Congrats, Cat, on your award-winning performance!

Creating a production from scratch and putting on a show–be it play, musical, concert, or a party that’s the bee’s knees–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. As such, we awarded seven Special Commendations for Murder at the Red Fez to Calvin Johnson, Elise Bechtel, Devanne Fredette, Elaine Stewart, Cat Kreidt, Leslie Blake, and Angie Sonia-Pritchard as an expression of tremendous gratitude for their work on the show and willingness to step up and help in times of difficulty. They are superstars. Congratulations!

Congratulations to our Special Commendation superstars!
(Not pictured Cat Kreidt)

What’s this? A new award? No, it’s not the bubbly going to your head. It’s true! We’ve caught these designers “red-handed!” For the past ten years, we have awarded everything from acting to writing to volunteerism, but we realized that we hadn’t included any technical theatrical designers in our awards. This had to change. Tech helps shape the world are actors live within. As a result, for our 10th anniversary, we created the brand-new Ruby Hand Award for Achievements in Design. The Ruby Hand recognizes excellence in the various field of technical theatrical design from set, costumes, makeup, hair, lighting, sound, music, choreography, publicity and more. Members working on the production vote anonymously for the best technical design of the show on opening night, and the winning designers who receive the most votes are awarded on the production’s closing night. Not every production will present the award based on the show’s scale or technical elements. Designs that tie in votes both receive the award. Designers can win the award multiple times, one of the few MMP awards where this is possible as each show is a new adventure.

In consultation with other MMP artists not in contention, we retroactively awarded designs from shows over our ten years in operation. We focused on designs that made an impact to performers, audiences, and press, designs that have become iconic at MMP and continually referenced as some of our best work yet. Sixteen artistic designs were awarded on closing night across a wide range of disciplines for the past decade and for Murder at the Red Fez, the first to be awarded in its traditional format. You can find the full list of winners on our Awards page. And congratulations to Elise Bechtel, Devanne Fredette, and Daniel Stallings for your Ruby Hand Award-winning set design, set dressing, and scenic art!

Congratulations Elise, Devanne, and Daniel!

Murder at the Red Fez returned us to our roots of a good ol’ classic interactive murder mystery where everyone is a suspect, the clues are crafty, the motives abound, and nothing is what it seems. As befitting the legendary line of spring productions at MMP, our 37th show was ambitious, glamorous, and first-class theatre. We were fortunate to have many of our growing theatre family involved in its creation, and it felt like the perfect way to start the NEXT ten years of Master Mystery Productions. Happy sleuthing, everyone! Now where’s that drink? Does anyone smell almonds or is it just me?

Diamond shares her heartbreak.

Miss all the fun of the Red Fez? Don’t worry. We’ve got another production in the works, and it promises to be a truly wonder-filled experience. Step through the looking glass and fall down the rabbit hole as MMP whisks all us hapless hares and ne’er-do-wells to Wonderland to watch Alice go on trial for *gasp* stealing jam tarts! Is she innocent? That’s for you to decide at Malice in Wonderland, directed by MMP Hall of Fame Artist, Devanne Fredette.

Auditions are April 25 and 26, 2025 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Red Rock Books. Performances are the last two weekends in July at Red Rock Books. See you in Wonderland!

–Master Mystery Productions

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