When you think of murder mystery plays, ones that come to mind include “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Dial M for Murder,” or “Strangers on a Train.” What usually doesn’t come to mind is a murder mystery involving fairy tale characters.
But since Holly Creek is always breaking stereotypes on senior living, it’s not surprising their most recent dinner theater, hosted in the Centennials restaurant, was entitled “Once Upon a Murder,” and featured the characters Cinderella, Snow White, Prince Charming, Buttons, Fairy Nuff, King Rat, the Widow Twankee and of course a narrator to guide this fairy tale gone wrong.
Bringing the Mystery to Life
Organized and directed by Holly Creek’s Director of Community Life, April Hagar (who also played Fairy Nuff), the play’s actors consisted of staff members who kept the audience guessing on who the murderer was. More than 100 residents joined the murder mystery festivities and were active participants in solving who killed Prince Charming in the first act.
Prince Charming, played by Holly Creek Chaplain Robert Smith, was not the clean-cut hero portrayed in Disney movies. In fact, he upset all the other characters so much, through past misdeeds, that each had a motive to make the prince past tense. Which is exactly what happened at the end of Act 1, by way of a poisoned dart to the neck.
The story played out in five acts, and between acts, the actors would visit the diners in character to plead their case for innocence and everyone else’s guilt.
A Fairy Tale-Themed Dining Experience
Even dinner had a fairy tale theme. Guests dined on Bippity Boppity Blue – a romaine wedge with blue cheese dressing, candied bacon, blistered cherry tomatoes, and red onion. The main course was Running Out of Thyme, seared chicken in a thyme-and-chicken demi-glace, with roasted butternut squash, risotto, and organic, tri-colored roasted carrots. For dessert, guests savored From Pumpkin Cheesecake – pumpkin-swirled cheesecake nestled in a gingersnap crust and topped with whipped Chantilly cream and cinnamon dust.
It was mentioned that if guests failed to finish their cheesecake, there was a good chance it would turn back into a pumpkin after midnight.
Cracking the Case
As residents relished their fairy-tale-themed dinner, forms were handed out for folks to write down who they thought killed Prince Charming, who was the victim of a poignantly placed, poisoned dart to the neck. Each dinner table rustled with conjecture and theories. Was the murderer the beautiful and seemingly innocent Cinderella or Snow White? Could it be Buttons, Prince Charming’s bumbling butler? Or might it be Fairy Nuff, the self-appointed crime solver, or Widow Twankee – a bee-hive sporting dame who had a turbulent history with Prince Charming and enough space in her beehive to hide a weapon? Finally, and perhaps the most obvious culprit was the Rat King, who was a power-crazed baddie and despised the aristocracy.
Finally, the moment of truth: the murderers (gasp!) turned out to be the Narrator, who collaborated with King Rat to oust Prince Charming from power! Only four of the dinner guests guessed King Rat. If you’re a fan of theater and murder mysteries, don’t hesitate to join our retirement community’s priority wait list to enjoy future dinner theater events that challenge your deductive skills to solve the next whodunit.
Featured Photo L to R: Michelle Fratenali (Widow Twankee), Jere Herrera (Narrator), Chuck Montera (King Rat), Christen Pierce (Cinderella), Destiny Estrada (Snow White), and Rick Fernandez (Buttons).
