As writers, we each have a favorite genre or two,
and maybe one or two comfortable formats we gravitate to. I tend to lean toward Thrillers and
Mysteries for the novel and short story formats, and I generally reserve essays for
Humor. Now, as far as formats go, I didn't really think
about them all that much, but a week or so ago, a friend of mine said:
“Hey! You’re a writer….”
I looked around to see who he was talking to.
“Think you’d like a pirate murder-mystery?”
Turns out he was talking about a dinner play. Now
I've been to exactly one play, not counting the ones forced on me in high
school. I've never written a play because plays aren't really my thing, but Mark went on to tell me that the play
was being put on by the Brewmaster/Owner of The Heavy Seas Brewery here in
Baltimore. Mark is a beer aficionado and knows a good beer when he drinks one …
or two … or….
... as I was saying....
Come to find out they were having the play in the
Heavy Seas Alehouse downtown on Bank St., a brand new watering hole touting
Baltimore’s rich nautical history. The play was themed around—you guessed it—pirates. It
sounded like fun, so Maggie and I joined Mark and Debbie for a mid-week night
out.
We arrived a little early, so we moseyed up to the
bar and caught up on stuff. The interior was immaculate and maintained a Caribbean
ambiance with rich dark wood, sturdy furniture, and a metal front door so heavy that it took a fair amount of strength to open. It boasted the
brewery’s flagship beverage on tap, and for my money, I found the venue pleasant, fresh, and comfortable.
Debbie and Mark are beta reading my next novel, and
we discussed writing and other mundane things over a couple beers as we waited for things to get started. The play, Huge Done It? A Pirate Murder Mystery,
was written by Adam Mack, produce by The Murder Mystery Company, and performed by local actors, who just happened to be milling about in costume minutes before we were ushered into the Captain’s
Lounge for the play. Little did we suspect that some of us would have roles as
well.
 |
| Anne Bonnie |
 |
| Steven Foote Capt'n One-Eyed Willie |
 |
| Jess Rivera Capt'n Long Jane Silver |
 |
| Alexandra Goldstein Lady Pirate Anne Bonnie |
 |
| Doctor A.R. & Capt'n Kidd |
They zeroed in on Mark and me right away, gave us name-tags and hats to identify who we were, and a dossier with everything we'd need to become characters in the play. Mark starred as Captain Kidd (the first murder victim), and I played Doctor A.R., pronounced ARRRRGH! In fact, there was so much ARRRRGH going on that night, I woke up this morning still ARRRRGH-ing and agitating the dogs to no end.
Each character had a bio, and secrets … lots of
secrets … and the rule was that if someone asked a question during the
investigation of these heinous crimes, we couldn't lie. But we could say
nothing … unless bribed with Buccaneer Bucks.
In actuality, the cast, staying in character, functioned more as actor/directors, setting the tone and directing the play where they wanted it to go, keeping it on track while guiding the audience/players. Out of about thirty people, ten were “recruited” for roles and no
one declined—it just looked like too much fun.
As I mentioned earlier, each character had a bio
and lots of secrets known only to them. Mine, for example, was a fear of touching
dead people and “winging it” when it came to Cause of Death. Not a good phobia
for a doctor to have. I was a bilge rat, a scallywag, a
scoundrel, and the two actresses referred to me as a scurvy dog the whole night. At first, I thought they actually knew me from my single days. Then, somewhere around the main entrée, it dawned on me that each of these
roles had rich and complex characteristics and foibles that entwined with each
other. Every character was connected to every other character in some manner, and usually
not in a good way.
 |
| Doctor A.R., Anne Bonnie, One-Eye'd Willy, and Capt'n Kidd (deceased). |
This little play contained all the necessary elements a good story must have: plot, setting, conflict, character flaws,
motivation, opportunity, infidelity (implied), betrayal, and all that goes with
them. The writer could easily replace last night’s murderer (Blind Hugh, who
wasn't blind at all, by the way) and replace him with any other character without a
lot of re-writing. Each character was created with reasons to want to kill
another character.
Aye! ... Brilliant!
So there ye have it, matey! I won’t be gettin’ into
the rest of it, other than to say that if ye ever get the chance to see one of
these intimate little dinner plays, ye should. Aye, they be good clean wholesome
fun for your entire crew, and something most out of the ordinary.
Oh, I totally forgot to mention … I took home the
Best Actor award as well.
ARRRRGH!
Best Regards,
DB
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