Interactive murder mystery gives Eden audience extra layer of excitement
A captivating cast, a meticulously-crafted set and interactive choose-your-own-adventure elements come together to create a suspenseful and riveting theatre experience.
Eden High School’s production of “Murder’s in the Heir” kicked off with a lengthy introduction from a character posing as the director of the play- within- a- play. This uniquely creative aspect provided relief from the serious plot which follows the Starkweather family, staff and a couple of outsiders as they navigate a revised will that results in the loss of billions of dollars for many of them.
The show’s 14 characters scramble to resolve their turmoil, while the “director” intermittently provides live feedback, breaking the fourth wall in an immersive and amusing way. The production also features nine different possible endings, giving the audience a chance to choose the show’s outcome. This interactive feature added an extra layer of excitement to the show.
The production was truly a spectacle to behold. The student production crew’s meticulously-crafted set and devotion to creating a thoroughly authentic experience paid off for the audience. The hand-stencilled wallpaper on the back on the set and the intricate decorations, including real food props and medical tools, displayed the depth of detail put into the production.
Shieh Lively played the pensive detective and his compelling acting not only drove the story forward, but his confident stage presence hooked the audience in and brought them along as he investigated the murder and culprit.
Meanwhile, Owen Culp played a most convincingly haughty butler, Bensonhurst, whose consistent disputes with the crude and comparably unrefined handyman, played by Dante Palumbo, was a regular and routine means of comedic relief. Georgia Enns switched between being a shy, bumbling girl and a plotting, murderous maid with ease.
While some actors could have benefited from more exaggerated characterizations, others, such as Ava McVittie’s expressively jolly but air-headed widow, were a merry sight to watch. Throughout the night, lighting and sound contributed to establishing a mood and transitioning between scenes. The lighting (Theo Fletcher and Johanna Jablonka) and the sound (Hailey Jacques and Lenny Vanstaalduinen) complemented each other to allow the audience to feel the authenticity of the thunder cracking outside and the lightning reflecting on the walls. Credit is also due to the stage managers (Angelina Huang and Julia King), who gave cues and worked with the cast and crew so everything would be on point. From casting calls in October to their eighth and final performance this April, the cast and crew of “Murder’s in the Heir” left the audience feeling satisfied with their chosen ending and with fulfilled expectations of this thrilling murder mystery.