Ode to Agatha

ODE TO AGATHA, the lucky thirteenth Master Mystery Production (July 2017), turned a classic British-style summer fete into an interactive murder mystery game show where guests worked in teams to examine the evidence and question the suspects in this country house murder most foul. Inspired by Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles and first performed in honor of the centennial celebration of Hercule Poirot’s first case, the show featured a cast of suspicious and sinister suspects who were all under scrutiny in a complex case of poisoning in the classic vein of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

After receiving an unexpected inheritance from a deceased aunt, ardent book lover, Miriam Lancaster, decides to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to England to visit the settings of her favorite novels. She’s toured the London sites of Charles Dickens and tramped the Yorkshire moors of Wuthering Heights. Next stop: Essex for The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie. But no sooner has Miriam stepped onto the train platform in Shayle St. John that the British constabulary are on her heels, accusing her of a robbery. Then she is swept to a grand country house as the guest of the very woman who accused her of stealing. A massive fortune, embittered relatives, a troublesome marriage, poetry, patent medicine, and poison only add to Miriam’s adventure as it becomes clear a dangerous presence has taken up residence at Shayle Court. Inspired by a double dose of British legends in the mystery genre, Ode to Agatha turns country house crime into a British summer fête game show where guests get to grill the suspects, examine the evidence, and solve a brutal murder themselves.

Status: AVAILABLE

Body Count: 1

Mechanics: Ensemble show with 4 female roles and 2 male roles. One male role can be adapted into a female role. Features a game show element where audiences get to question the suspects after watching various scenes. Actor improvisation is necessary.