We capped off our triple-play weekend at the Little Theatre of Norfolk to see their murder mystery But Why Bump Off Barnaby?  We entered the theatre by way of LTN’s Green Room, which LTN always does a fantastic job of theming to match the show.  This time, they went above and beyond, partnering with local escape room Escape2Win to turn the Green Room into a mini-escape room – fun and well worth getting to the show 20-30 minutes early to complete.

Once we had solved the mystery in the Green Room, it was time to settle into our seats, where we were greeted with a beautiful set, created by Kerry Crosby, made to look like a sitting room in an old mansion, complete with spooky green wallpaper and a huge stone fireplace.  It was really cool to see – and as in any good murder mystery, this set would turn out to have quite a few little tricks to be seen throughout the show. 

The show proper begins with Orion Leduc, an older Baron, talking to his domestic staff of two, in preparation for the party he is throwing that night.  Medkins the butler, played by Joe White, and Magnolia the maid/server/reluctant bellhop, played by Laura Sommo, have great chemistry from the very start of the play, with White’s perfectly executed “straight-man” contrasting beautifully with Sommo’s bitter attitude and biting remarks (which, I can only imagine, is an excellent embodiment of what is going through many in-house servants minds).  And – right on time – each guest arrives to the house for the party. 

As we come to find out, each guest has their own little (or in some cases, rather large) quirk to their personality.  These quirks will only become more exaggerated when the (hardly a spoiler since it is mentioned in the title) murder of Barnaby Folcey, played by Ryan Jennings, occurs.  Orion, played by Brian Cebrian, seems to be having an affair with (potential gold-digger) Rosalind Barstow, played by Leah Kenney.  Meanwhile, Rosalind constantly bickers with super dramatic actress Cleo Barton (played by Lori Thurman).  Cleo has a puppy-love crush on Jeff Barnett (played by Darion Carr), who is a police reporter and thus acts as a guide for the group through how they might solve the murder.  Jeff Barnett is actually in a relationship with Dora Dunstock (played by Helen Hope), but Dora is essentially Amelia Bedelia.  Dora, as well as many of the characters, were tutored from a young age by old (and losing her sight) Miss Barnsdale, played by Jackie Stein.  And, they are all consistently frustrated by Barbara Folcey’s inability to hear much of anything – which, I must say, was played off perfectly by Kathy Strouse.

Yes – that is a lot going on, all while trying to solve a murder.  The fact that this cast is able to pull it off without anything feeling too contrived or any of their particular schticks getting old is a testament to each of their acting skills and comedic timing.  And such an ensemble piece really needs its director to bring it all together – so let’s raise a glass of (notably not green) sherry to Jimmy Dragas for bringing this cast together and ensuring the timing worked throughout each moment. 

Overall, this play is a ton of fun to see, and the actors also noticeably appear to be having a blast on stage.  It is worth making the trip just for one 10-15 second moment towards the end, where the action stops, and all the other talented actors get out of the way so that Joe White can make one of the most hilarious faces I’ve ever seen. 

Although it was the third play we saw this weekend, we wanted to post its review first, as it is already through its second weekend of performances – which means you don’t have much time to get out to LTN to figure out why indeed someone would bump off Barnaby!  And keep an eye out for reviews of A Raisin in the Sun at LTVB and Private Lives at Williamsburg Players, coming later this week!