Murder mystery by Phillips County Players keeps viewers guessing ­— and laughing

Doubling down on both their acting responsibilities and the entertainment value, Phillips County Players presented a delightful play within a play last weekend. The plot kept people guessing, and the acting kept them laughing throughout.

“The Murder Mystery at the Murder Mystery” by Brian D. Taylor was staged at Sunset View from Friday-Sunday, Jan. 17-19. The show is set at a murder mystery playhouse in Holysmoke, Colorado, during the final dress rehearsal of the play “Putting a Little English On It.”

From the get-go, spectators were wondering whether the body on stage was a real victim or simply an actor, and throughout the evening, it was an amusing challenge for both the cast and the audience to keep track of just how high the body count had climbed.

Given the murder weapon of choice, each new body meant another comical fire poker sticking wildly into the air. And every time the lights came up, folks scanned the scene for the latest victim. To top it off, the fourth wall may as well have been nonexistent. Taking on multiple roles of its own, the audience went from spectator to suspect to accomplice when it came time to dispose of the bodies.

The full article is available in our e-Edition. Click here to subscribe.