I forgot to mention that last night I went to a Murder Mystery Comedy Dinner as part of the Biophysics recruiting weekend. It was held in a Back Bay brownstone that is normally the Boston Women’s College Club. There were five actors playing various roles.
The bottom line is: the food was very nice, the setting (a mock birthday party) was very comfortable, and the comedy was absolutely cringe-inspiring. I felt truly sorry for the actors; they were all not only talented actors but singers as well. Unfortunately, they were also the least enthusiastic cast I have ever encountered, and were putting on some of the least convincing accents. If they’d shown half the zeal of the Westport Community Theater crowd, it would have been a dramatically better evening.
In the end, I think blame lies with the entire concept; this sort of dinner should not be a comedy, for the same reason that Agatha Christie did not write comedies. However, even in this mode, the plot still could have been about a million times more interesting. The actors’ apathy was further evidenced by the fact that they left the dinner before we did. Oh well.