Miss Marple Murder Mystery: The Suspects Reflect - 11am, Saturday, 28 April 2018

Checked Out:

The Body in the Library 

 A Miss Marple Inspired Murder Mystery 

Announced as another monthly book club gathering...only different, bemused audience members were ushered across the chalk outline of the decapitated Tommy Bent, crooked bookie and up to his time of death, co-convenor of Mentone Public Library's book club, housed in the Mentone Rifle Range of 1930s Mentone.

There the audience were met by seven suspects armed with both alibi and a motive and instrument for murder. 

In the end, it would be up to the audience, as cunning sleuths and helpers of Miss Marple (also under suspicion) to measure the clues and red herrings to determine the killer. 

The inspector's measuring tape brings the cast of suspects under the microscope. Left to Right: Auditor Sullivan the Building Inspector (Judy Sullivan), Miss Marple (Tony Brooker), Local Council Candidate "Grizzly" Bearsley (Cr Tamsin Bearsley, City of Kingston Council South Ward), Miss "Looney" Lavender La Livres (Justine Gorny), Miss Deidre "Dee" Scruntled, Disgruntled Librarian (Julia Reichstein), Anna Bent - Tommy Bent's Illegitimate Daughter (Anna Bearsley), Detective Happy (Paul Karp)

Here's how it looked from the vantage point of some of the suspects....

Judy Sullivan as Auditor Sullivan the Building Inspector

I didn’t think a tape measure could ‘star’ so emphatically in the demise of one, Tommy Bent...and daughter! But if that library was to be demolished, as was my contention, it was a necessary prop....valuable in measuring bodies, bullet holes, benches, and any brave person who happened by!

But as a ‘normal’ human being (debatable) in 2018, my alibi and confession (prepared), seemed so remote in the tiny and well loved Public Library of Mentone.  I just wish more like-minded people would venture in to see the variety of directions, perhaps well away from the expected purpose of any library.  Artists, writers and musicians are frequent presenters.... so the notion of an acting cast was not so remote as we contemplated Tommy’s demise.

Great idea Tamsin and Julia you restructured the debatable truth with gusto.  And we all had fun disproving everything.

Must look up the real truth about Tommy!!

Justine Gorny as Miss "Looney" Lavender la Livres 

- Tommy Bent's Jilted Ex-Lover 

Tommy Bent is no more...

Who came in the library door?

It could have been one of seven,

to have lifted Tommy to heaven (not).

After tales of intrigue were relayed,

the thrilled audience by vote then made,

the Librarian the culprit extraordinaire,

saving Looney Lavendar Le Livre the chair! 

I must say, it was a delight having the opportunity to partake in theatrical mystique in the role of Looney Lavender La Livres!  This murder mystery could have taken any number of  twists and turns as part of its "create your own adventure" type format.  I loved the originality and spontaneity of the performance and the Mentone Library provided an ideal setting among the books and good humour!  Much fun was had by all!

Tony Brooker (Mentone Public Library President) as Miss Marple

 

A great big thank-you to everyone involved with our Modest Murder Mystery. A special thanks to Tamsin for suggesting it in the first place and of course, Julia for all her work in organising the event.

A star cast gave their all to make it a day to remember. Justine was amazing as Miss Looney Lavender , very professional. Judy and her tape measure brought the house down, Paul made a very convincing Inspector and of course Anna as a part time corpse was excellent.

The audience participation was very encouraging which I hope means we could perhaps return to the stage at some time in the future.

Thanks again.

Julia Reichstein as Diedre "Dee" Scruntled, the Disgruntled Librarian.

 

Here she is pictured after being found guilty of the murder 

of Tommy Bent and his daughter Anna Bent.

Preparing to take her away to prison are from left to right: 

Miss Marple, Detective Happy, and on her shoulder, her long-standing (and long-suffering) companion Bookmark the cat.

Yes, damn it. It was me! I was so tired of Tommy's taunts and slothfulness.

The library was nothing more than a warehouse to him for his contraband.

He treated me and my ideas like a joke.

And when he threatened to turn my cat Bookmark into a wig for his current squeeze – Council Candidate “Grizzly” Bearsley, I…well I snapped. 

Left to Right: Miss "Looney" Lavender La Livres, Auditor Sullivan, with daggers being fired by council candidate "Grizzly" Bearsley, as Dee Scruntled reads her confession.

I struck him with Exhibit B – the sailing ship bookend.

 But he wouldn’t go down. He began to stagger and laugh hysterically at me. I struck him again. He began to bleed but it just made him laugh harder.

 

But when I shoved the rat poison down his throat…well, that finally shut him up for good.

As for eradicating the rat that was the smug little Anna Bent …well, I never planned to kill her. But the price of keeping her mouth shut when she got wind of my scheme to murder her father Tommy had become too high. And when I saw the note she had the cheek to leave in the evidence exhibit box…I just acted. I laced her drink with rat poison.

Anna Bent during cross-examination before her untimely passing at interval!

Cast members who have taken the vow of silence for this blog entry, but who we give standing ovations to are:

Anna Bearsley as Anna Bent

 Anna was a fantastically good sport throughout all this, cooperatively dying a thousand deaths during our planning and rehearsal sessions!

Terrific collaborator, wise-beyond-her-years, a natural acting ability and flair for baton twirling, the one skill to trump all those combined was her impressive ability to rise from the dead for curtain call!

 Paul Karp as Detective Happy

Quick-witted and a wonderful word-smith, it was a delight to discover Paul's seamless transition into character acting. His improvisational skills and one-liners made it very hard at times to remain in character. See Exhibit A below!

Councillor Tamsin Bearsley of City of Kingston's South Ward as Council Candidate "Grizzly" Bearsley

Huge credit must be paid to Cr Bearsley who just proved a true team player and nurturer throughout this experience. Having planted the idea of staging a murder mystery in the back of our minds in 2017, after helping us launch our seventh series of "An Author for All Seasons", we mustered up the courage to give it a go, and were pleased as punch when Tamsin agreed to be involved. 

Tamsin was brilliant in trouble-shooting our plot and prop holes during the conception stage.

Forging a fun and wickedly likeable character in the diabolical but remorseful Candidate Grizzly; a character who delivered scones and an election pitch to her own cross-examination!

So well-prepared was Cr Bearsley, that she even brought in an understudy should she be unable to participate on the day.

Meet Tamsin's sister Lucinda!

 

 Enormous thanks are also extended to Andrew Bearsley for being our "mug shot" 

photographer for the morning!

 We hope you can join us for another murder mystery next year.

 Miss Marple insists upon it!