The St. Pugnacious Parish Hall Bingo Murder Mystery
Written by Ken MacDougall and Caroline Smith
Directed by Caroline Smith
Parish Hall Bingo Murder Mystery
Stirling Festival Theatre
July 5 to 22 2006
STIRLING, ON - Stirling never ceases to amaze me. A small community with large talent. Not only was this script written by the principal actor Ken MacDougall and director Caroline Smith but I was in stitches with the ample amount of local jokes weaving throughout an array of witty metaphors and humorous asides.
Not only were we members of the audience but we were a part of an interactive extremely comical murder mystery. We are primarily from entrance introduced to a quiet but amazingly quirky organist named Agnus who continues to play in the Parish Hall gradually being set up for a Bingo game by the dim witted but loveable janitor, Clem Swisshenmop. While he has set up looking for his balls, balls for bingo we soon learn the Father of St. Pugnacious is a Frankie O’Flaherty. Not only does the Father have a lighthearted Irish attitude but he begins to build a trusting relationship with the audience through his amusing local references and his need to recite witty poems throughout each scene.
Three bingo players set in the audience are chosen by Father O’Flaherty to participate in the Bingo game of a lifetime. The prize; a $1,000,000 cheque anonymously donated.
So here we have, Bingo Betsy, a vibrantly dressed widow whose new found hobby resorts her to lucky troll dolls and bingo dabbers, Will Weasley, an exceptionally sexually frustrated young man who has taken the place in the competition for his recently deceased best friend and Titania Bustinoutova the large breasted Russian who is determined to win the prize money to donate in her dead sisters name for the care of huskies.
Right from the beginning we face the dilemma, as a local constable comes on the scene to draw the ceremonial bingo ball he is sent with partying gifts from each player. A troll doll from Bingo Betsy, a bottle of natural spring water from the Father and a cigar from Willy. And there we had our suspected murder weapons because soon after, the Constable turns up DEAD! (here we hear the famous DA DA DA from the organ)
Another original angle used, the killer is chosen by the audience by a vote using colored cards making the ending vary. So even if I wanted to tell you the ending, I can’t.
Kudos to the Constable considering he was an actual local officer being a good sport in a hilariously funny show as I do recall he got a little case of those contagious theatrical giggles while genuinely trying to react to the vibrant characters sharing the stage.
Between animated characters, local humour bursting at the seams and a tremendously interactive audience I can honestly say that it was an extremely enjoyable evening.
The best part of murder mysteries is when each character plays it up as they were the guilty culprit and Stirling did that dramatically.
