On Sept.9, the Pulaski Fine Arts Association will launch their third production of the season, “Bloody Murder” by Ed Archer. The play is both a murder mystery and a comedy, with an over-the-top storyline and the stereotypical characters one would expect to find in a murder mystery, such as a wealthy woman, her ill-intentioned heir, a military officer, an ingenue, a glamorous and mysterious lady, to name a few.
This show will be co-directed by two long time regulars at PFAA, Maria Whittaker and Janet Rozmiarek.
Each year, prospective directors pitch a play that they would like to direct. Whittaker explained she pitched this play in 2021 because she loves murder mysteries and likes to keep her audience guessing. And more importantly, she found the script to be hilarious. Rozmiarek agreed, “The script made me actually laugh out loud. If it makes me laugh, it is something I want to be involved with. I knew this was going to be a good one.”
The story takes place inside an old English mansion during the 1930s in England. The interior of the mansion still has the charm of old but with some modern conveniences for the era. At the beginning of the performance, audiences will meet the guests who have been invited to the manor, before, in typical murder mystery fashion, they start dropping like flies.
The directors decided to approach this production by encouraging the actors to improvise their characters’ personalities and let them explore their own methods of bringing the characters to life. And the actors do not disappoint. Rozmiarek’s favorite character is Jane because of her lines and the expressions on the actor’s face. For Whittaker, it is the countess that is her favorite, “I love her entrance,” Whittaker enthused, “and the improv choices our actors have made – some of them are pretty hilarious.”
Another exciting thing about this production is the number of new faces that will be on stage. Four of the most critical roles in the show are played by individuals who are working with PFAA for the first time. And on top of that, two of the new faces are making their stage debut in this production.
When asked how the show will conclude, Whittaker responded, “Each character is peeled back layer by layer until all is revealed at the very end.” With a little more prompting, she was only willing to say that the end has a funny twist that will leave the audience stunned that they didn’t figure it out all along.
Rozmiarek concurred and summed it up this way, “The audience can expect to walk away from this production with a belly ache from laughing so much.”
Bloody Murder plays at Theater On The Square in Waynesville from Sept. 9 to Sept. 11 and Sept. 16 to Sept. 18. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Matinees are 2:30 p.m. Reservations are highly recommended and can be obtained at www.pfaa-tots.com.
