Life is so Difficult for Nobility
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
Someplace around Bobcaygeon, there’s a secret location where many members of the nobility like to hang out. In fact, they meet at a secluded luxury home, called Lakeview Manor, each year for the Snowball Ball, which kicks off the winter season in the village of Winterton.
We lowly commoners here in the colony might think that life is simple for the nobility. They live in manors, have servants waiting on them, and seem to have plenty of old money.
Not true! They have problems just like the rest of us! Some are running out of the family fortune. And they seem to think that finding a rich potential spouse is the best solution for any financial woes.
That brings us up to the present, where seven members of the nobility have gathered to celebrate the Snowball Ball, and surprisingly enough, none of them think that’s a silly name for their event.
An eighth person is at the Ball, but she manages to keep herself out of the spotlight. She is the reporter for the “insightful and scathing gossip sheet” known as The Tattler. While we never see her, we do hear her voice and feel her influence, as she reveals the secrets of the upper class.
The three men are all lovelorn, and seem to be especially fond of women who they perceive to be rich. The four women include a not-so-grieving widow, an unhappy pianist, and a mother-and-daughter singing duo.
And before you know it, there’s a dead body in the room. Who dunnit? That’s for the audience onlookers to determine.
I’m not revealing any more of the plot, for two reasons: One, I cannot reveal any spoilers because it’s up to you to figure out what’s going on, and two, I think there is a good possibility that the plot will change each evening the show runs.
This is improvisational theatre – clever actors make up their lines as they go along, and I think they even surprise themselves with whatever comes out of their mouths. You may recognize some of the faces; they look strangely like some World Cup Soccer Players, some Tiki Bar beach bums, or some real estate wheeler-dealers that we’ve seen in the past.
Snowball Ball is a good addition to The Globus’s long line up of improv murder mysteries. We meet all the characters and hear about some of the jealousies and prior relationships, all the while being served delicious appetizers. We enjoy some music as the cast gathers round the piano to sing, and there is also some dancing in the ballroom. We enjoy a generous and delicious buffet dinner, and the story progresses. Then there are rich desserts – blueberry crumble, chocolate pudding/cake and Bailey’s bread pudding. We provide the cast members with our evidence sheets and point the finger at who we believe is the perpetrator. There is a prize for the correct answer with the best evidence, and also a booby prize of sorts for the answer which couldn’t be more wrong.
This show had more dancing than most murder mysteries. Why, they even had guests on the dance floor doing the Rocky Horror Show’s Time Warp Dance.
Bring your friends and enjoy a night out at the theatre that’s a far cry from the usual fare. Flirting with nobility is always fun!
Murder at the Snowball Ball continues at the Globus Theatre, Lakeview Arts Barn near Bobcaygeon, until November 23. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at 705-738-2037 or 1-800-304-7897 or visit https://www.lakeviewartsbarn.com/globus-current-season
Photo: Viscount Vinny Van Victoria (Kerry Griffin), Duchess Dinny Du Dunsford (Jennine Profeta), Earl Ernie Reaboro (Chris Gibbs), Marquis Mark O’Memee (Dave Pearce), Baroness Bunny Bolsover (Kelly Burrows), Contessa Cruella Cameron (Linette Doherty), Lady Crystal Cameron (Maya Doherty).
Murder at the Snowball Ball
Murder mystery dinner theatre
By Sarah Quick
Performed by Jennine Profeta, Chris Gibbs, Sarah Quick, Kerry Griffin, Kelly Burrows, Dave Pearce, Linette Doherty, Maya Doherty.
Globus Theatre, Lakeview Arts Barn, south of Bobcaygeon
November 13 to 23, 2024
Reviewed by Mary Alderson