Real Inspector Hound & Burgundy Wine Mob at Garfield Through Sunday

(l to r) Paul Briggs asThe Body, Jim Landskroener, Carolyn Thompson, Brian Whitaker and Kelsy Long in The Real Inspector Hound, opening Friday, November 2 at the Garfield Center.

A double dose of comedic murder mysteries take the stage for two weekends at The Garfield Center for the Arts: The Real Inspector Hound and The Burgundy Wine Mob. These two one-act plays will engage audiences with humor, intrigue, quick wit, parody and musical flair.

Act I, The Real Inspector Hound, is a satirical comedy written by Tom Stoppard with veteran director Diane Landskroenerat the helm. The plot follows two theatre critics who are watching a ludicrous setup of a whodunit style murder mystery set in the British country residence of Muldoon Manor. By chance, the critics become involved in the action, causing a series of events that parallel the play they are watching. The play-within-a-play parody draws on Stoppard’s experiences as a theatre critic;  its title is an allusion to the end of The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie. The absurd characters unfold the plot with witty lampoons on the conventional murder mystery.
The Real Inspector Hound features actors well known to the Garfield stage and some newcomers. The cast includes Jim Landskroener and Chris Rogers as theatre critics Birdboot and Moon, Julie Lawrence as Mrs. Drudge, Kelsy Long as Felicity Cunningham, Brian Whitaker as Major Magnus Muldoon, Patrick Fee as Inspector Hound and Paul Briggs as The Body. Two actors are making their Garfield stage debuts: Carolyn Thompson as Lady Cynthia Muldoon and Alex Dickerson as Simon Gascoyne.

Burgundy Wine Mob, (l to r) Brian Whitaker, Avra Sullivan, Mark Wiening, Jane Copple and Chris Rogers.

Act II, The Burgundy Wine Mob,  a musical comedy/murder mystery written and directed by Chestertown resident playwright Earl Lewin, involves a musical score arranged and recorded by renowned, local pianist Dick Durham. The story features a collection of dangerous characters who gather at the Bongo Bongo Club, all with the same goal in mind: getting their hands on a pile of money that was illegally obtained by the Burgundy Wine Mob. The Mob consists of Jones, Max and Johnnie, a group of bumbling ne’er do wells who swipe a priceless wine collection. Johnnie took charge of fencing it for $3 million dollars. Unfortunately for the others, he disappeared with the cash. Now Johnnie has been rubbed out and it seems that nobody knows who killed him or where the cash is. Johnnie’s girlfriend shows up with a key he gave her before his untimely death. What’s it for? Even she doesn’t know. Maybe the answer is at the Bongo Bongo Club. When she shows up at the club one night, everyone present knows she has the key. Everybody wants that money. Nobody is safe.

The six-person cast, which has been together for 2 years,  includes actors well known to Eastern Shore theatre scene. Director Lewin remarked that, “It is a show we all have fun doing.”  Amy Moredock and Avra Sullivan are making their first Garfield stage appearances as Tulip and Frankie. Jane Copple and Mark Wiening play Angie and Tony. And, audiences will get to watch two actors from Act I reappear as very different characters in Act II: Chris Rogers returns as Jones and Brian Whitaker as Max. The show made its Off  Broadway debut in New York City October 7 of this year.

The double feature is on stage for two weekends at The Garfield Center for the Arts: November 2nd-4th and 9th-11th. Friday and

A second dead body

Saturday night shows are at 8pm and Sunday afternoon shows are at 3pm. Tickets are $15, $5 for students with ID. Please note ACT II involves some mature content that may not be appropriate for students younger than 13.

For more information and ticket reservations visit www.garfieldcenter.org, email [email protected] or call 410-810-2060.

The Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre
210 High Street
Chestertown, MD 21620
410 810 2060