by Tony Annicone
Little Rhody Entertainment Writer
Welcome to Rocky Barton's Mansion in
New York City on October 31, 1934. Meet nine people who
may be who they say they are or maybe not. One of them
will be murdered but whodunnit? "A Well-Timed Murder"
written by Ann Waterman takes place in the middle of the
depression but is the opposite of depression. It is a
well blended comic murder mystery with tongue in cheek
musical numbers of the 1930's with new clue giving
lyrics. The audience members are the guests of the
wealthy Barton's and they must solve this intriguing
puzzle in the latest Whodunnit Murder Mystery Dinner
Theater show.
This cleverly done mystery is well
directed by Melody Los. The audience must pay strict
attention to everything happening during the show. Ann
supplies the show with witty lines and song lyrics and
good character actor roles. All the guests are
introduced by the Barton butler, Winger played by Brian
Ottaviano. Winger narrates the show and Brian handles
the transitions from scene to scene wonderfully. The
patriarch of the Barton family is Rocky played by John
Los. Rocky is rewriting his will because he has a
terminal illness. John plays the dragoon like role
splendidly as Rocky repeats things three times, running
rough shod over his family. He keeps them guessing about
who will actually get the money in his will.
Rocky's family consists of his long
suffering wife of 39 years, Sylvia played by Nancy Pinto
who has many funny malapropisms in the show. They
include Crocktail, Vulgar for Elgar and my favorite,
bidet singer for cabaret singer. She has put up with
Rocky's terrible behavior all these years but she
reveals a secret twist later on in the show. Rocky's
high brow, snobby son, Lawrence is played by Joe
Turchetta. He has spent years going to school in Europe,
is now a drunkard and is called a lunkhead by his
father. Joe handles the drunken role very well and comes
through strongly when the revelations are made. Rocky's
adopted brother, Reg is played by Brian Lamothe who is
clad in a moth eaten sweater. Reg was a pig farmer who
lost his farm by foreclosure. His wife, Lena is played
by Melody Los. Lena has a deep hidden secret that she
thinks will win her the money. But it's another secret
that might foil her plans. Her sweet but crafty
daughter, Laura is played by Karen Tulli. She seems
sweet and naive at first but reveals her money grubbing
nature later on. They all do a great job as the twists
and turns of the show lead them down different paths
than they first thought of.
The other two guests at the party are
Rocky's gangster crony, Marco played by Steve Bruno and
his sexy beautiful date, Sal from Brooklyn played by
Laurie Lavallee. They fit these gangster parts to a tee
as they argue back and forth. Laurie gets a chance to
show off her fantastic singing voice in 615th Street a
takeoff on 42nd Street. Everyone's watch had stopped at
6:15 and this is a clue about the time and another
hidden secret, too. The dinner selections at the Crowne
Plaza consist of Baked Scrod or Stuffed Chicken Breast
with mixed veggies, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls and
butter and strawberry cheesecake. So for a topnotch
mystery dinner show be sure to catch "A Well-Timed
Murder" before time runs out.
A WELL-TIMED MURDER ( 23 July -27
August, 2005)
Who Dunnit Murder Mystery Dinner Theater
Crowne Plaza, 801 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick, RI
1 (401) 447-7126
or
www.aswaterman.com/whodunnit
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