A gathering of suspicious characters

SUSPECT: All characters in Dorothy Fletcher’s internative whodunnit Mayhem and Murder, such as those played by Lerina Julies (left), Natasha Ashworth, Rob Ashworth and Christine McKnight, have motivations to commit murder — but it is up to the audience to deduct who in the MTG productions. Picture supplied

Each actor in Musical Theatre Gisborne’s upcoming production Mayhem and Murder needs to know his or her character’s backstory in depth, says the show’s writer/director Dorothy Fletcher.

This is because throughout the interactive whodunnit, the audience looks out for clues, and has the opportunity to ask questions of characters, to uncover the murderer. And because several plots interweave through the script, the show features a different murder, and murderer, each night.

“You basically try to structure the play so enough people want to kill enough people to keep the mystery rolling along,” says Fletcher.

“You need enough in there to cover six nights with a different killer each night.”

Characters — suspects all — are first interviewed by a police inspector played by Julie McPhail, assisted by her sidekick played by Andrew Stevens.

The murder mystery is set in the 1970s so the cast will perform songs from that era. Words in the songs fit with the story and in some cases point to clues, says Fletcher.

Supper is included and people are welcome to turn up to the show in 1970s clobber.

Mayhem and Murder, Musical Theatre, Gisborne, 99 Innes Street, November 29,30 and December 1, 6, 7, 8 at 7.30pm. Tickets $30 from Stephen Jones Photography.