Written by I’ll admit up front I didn’t figure out who did it.
That annoys me a bit. Mystery lovers hate it when they can’t guess the killer at the end. I guess that’s a credit to the story so they had enough red herrings to throw me off.
Then again, I was laughing so hard most of the time I probably missed a lot of clues.
“Speak Easy, Die Hard” is the latest Ozark Murder Mysteries production at the Circle B Theatre in Branson. It features a pasta dinner for those who may have missed dinner earlier. (I didn’t eat the dinner tonight so I can’t review that.)
The show features an ensemble cast but there’s a clear “star” in the production: Helena Lee. She’s one of the local “gangster”‘s daughters in the play but in the pre-show she plays “Laurel Vincent”, a British singer/entertainer. It gives her a chance to show off her vocal chops and tonight she brought a killer rendition of “Cabaret.” It’s not really something that ties into the murder mystery production but it’s very entertaining.
Let’s put it this way…I’d pay to see her do a full show on her own based on the sample I saw tonight.
The show itself is based around the idea that a tone-deaf performer Roy Billy-Bob Joe Horton who gets a theatre to perform in thanks to local “gangster” Peter “Pa” Parker. Peter obtained the money from a bunch of gangsters around the country who come to collect.
The show progresses at a steady tempo although it dragged a bit in the middle. I’m chalking that up to the fact they had a cast member unavailable tonight and so they were shifting things around to accommodate that unexpected change. (Helena Lee played two roles in the production tonight because of it and did both parts well.)
The part I loved the best was the subtle jokes that ran throughout the dialogue. For example, at one point a character tells the local gangster Peter Parker that his “web of lies” is unraveling. I’ll admit that I was pretty much alone at laughing at that line but I can’t think I was the only person who caught the Spiderman link. (Peter Parker is Spidey, hence the “WEB” of lies.)
There is also a tremendous amount of audience interaction with the cast and a few of the cast members have strong improv abilities. I’d have to see the show a second time to confirm this suspicion but I’ll bet the show’s not exactly the same each time because of that interaction.
The cast was solid with special credit going to the actor playing “Moderately Attractive Lloyd.” (I believe that was the character name…I wasn’t planning to write a review so I didn’t take notes.) I didn’t get his name but the easy, semi-slimy way he played the part fit the character perfectly.
I enjoyed the show and I wouldn’t have a problem recommending it to someone. I might not take my kids to it only because the humor was obviously for adults and with an improv factor you don’t know if something PG-13 or greater would pop up.
Check them out on their website.
