Drury Comedy Troupe Hosts Murder-Mystery Dinner Fundraiser
ADAMS, Mass. — "Lucy, what have you done?!"
That may well be a question not for Lucy's show biz husband, Ricky, but for the audience trying to figure out a murder-mystery at Ricky's nightclub (aka the Bounti-Fare) on Friday.
"Trouble at the Tropicabana," a spoof of the classic "I Love Lucy" series with movie moguls, kingpins, slapstick, music and dancing is being produced by the Drury Stage Company Comedic Arts Service Troupe to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.
Music and theater instructor Kate Caton said the seven-member troupe will perform the audience-participation, murder-mystery by Tony Schwartz and Marylou Ambrose (Tonylou Productions) as a service-learning project.
She said the murder-mystery seemed like a good fit for the troupe members, who are still fresh from the musical "Copacabana" and ready to flex some of their newly honed improvisational muscles.
"We were practicing our improv skills not knowing this was going to happen so that they would feel comfortable doing something zany without a script," she said. "We were doing elementary school shows and part of it was scripted and part of it was not. That's what makes this work. We practice improvisation, comedy, and slapstick."
Caton said the stage company's set builder is involved in Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity and when he brought up the opportunity, the troupe jumped at the opportunity to give back. First Church of Congregational in Dalton is hosting.
Troupe members will play well-known "I Love Lucy" characters Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel, and also movie-mogul heiress Celia B. DeMilo, notorious gangster Mr. Big, and Ricky's cousin Rosita.
The show starts off in Lucy and Ricky's living room, then switches to Ricky's club, the Tropicabana.
There may be dancing, singing, Lucy and Ethel may get into or cause some trouble, and there may even be a conga line.
But someone definitely will be murdered and it will be up to the audience to figure out who did it.
Caton said the show starts as soon as attendees sit down at their tables, where they will mingle with the cast of characters.
The cast will perform acts in-between a multicourse chicken dinner.
It will then be up to the audience members to solve the crime.
"They will have ballots on the table and they have to figure out the motive and who they think did it," Caton said. "Then we find out who was right."
The show starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are available online for $25, which includes the dinner.
Tags: Drury High, fine & performing arts, fundraiser, habitat for humanity,
