'Murder...Murder...Murder' Takes Unexpected Turns

ALL>>The Pan Andreas Theater in Los Angles presented the world premiere of “Murder…Murder…Murder,” a play that plays off the classic murder mystery shows with a twisted sense of humor. The play is aware of itself and the tropes that it is playing off of. The playwright, Adam Hahn, wanted to create a play that not only played tribute to some of the world’s best murder stories, taking inspiration from playwright Agatha Christie, but also adding his own spin on the classic structure of a murder mystery play. “I think most theater goers have seen a bad murder mystery play, and if you’re fortunate you’ve seen a couple of good ones,” Hahn said. “So I just started having fun with some of the characters and tropes that you would see in murder mysteries. As I came to research this play, I began to really respect storytelling and stagecraft of Agatha Christie.” The plot starts at an the Grainvaile Estate where the wealthy owner, Lucius Grainvaile, has been murdered. Now it is up to Investigator Edwin Montrose to solve the case with his assistant Jameson by his side. He needs to discover the murder among the seven guests at the estate. The play is filled with an unexpected twist, shocking reveals and an ending that will leave you wanting more. “It’s a good satire of murder mysteries, and it was genuinely funny for most of the show,” said Seth Flores, Theater Major at Crafton Hills College. “There are a lot of jokes that theater people will appreciate.” Duane Taniguchi, producer and actor portraying Jameson, said nine actors were needed to perform the play, the process was a collaborative effort and the cast worked well together. The twisted humor and Meta nature of the play attracted many of the actors who performed in the show such as Natalie Nicole Dressel, the actress who portrayed Edwin. She said she had been in love with the play for over a year before it had got on its feet. “When you usually watch murder mystery it’s the dark ones like Law and Order, but the comedy murder mysteries gives the audience a chance to laugh at something dark,” said Marie Petit, the actress portraying the character Tabitha. The play will be running from Friday, Jan. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 5 on Fridays and Saturdays and will begin at 8 p.m. On Sundays, it will start at 2 p.m. at the Pan Andreas Theater. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.SkyPilotTheatre.com or by calling 800-838-3006.