An Unfair Fall Fair Murder
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
It’s murder mystery dinner theatre time at the Globus Theatre. You know the food will be delicious and the comedy will be hilarious. And the audience involvement adds to the fun. As the staff starts serving hors d’oeuvres, the characters visit the diners.
We are all attending the 44th Fowler’s Falls Fall Fair. There are farm animals to be judged, produce to be displayed, and a midway with all the amazing rides. We get acquainted with six fair goers. There’s Pete Harvester, the farmer who wins all the ribbons every year, and Frank Feelgood, the fair president who just wants things to run smoothly. Jenny Jumpers is overly enthusiastic about the fall fair and keeps trying to win a prize. Xavier Jones tells us he’s a city boy who is attending a fair for the first time and really wants to get involved. Letitia Lately is a new immigrant from Britain, also eager to learn about fall fairs, and Barnie Streep (AKA Bumpers) is a carnie looking after the midway, travelling from fair to fair. These six are eager to chat with the rest of us, but before the night’s out two of them are murdered, right there at the fair. The remaining four become the suspects and we have to figure out who concocted and carried out the heinous scheme.
The six characters are all great improv actors, with perfect comedic timing. No matter what the audience throws at them, they have a witty response.
This will be a brief review – I can’t tell you any more about the characters or the plot. All attendees have to figure out whodunit, write their reasoning on paper, and see if they can win one of those much-coveted fair prizes.
Kudos to Sarah Quick, Globus’s artistic director and writer/director of this show, for developing the characters and finding a cast of improv artists to tell the story.
It’s an evening with lots of laughs, clever comedy, and just plain fun!
A Side Note: Congratulations to Globus Theatre in their fundraising efforts to purchase the Lakeview Arts Barn. The big red thermometer continues to climb as the dollars flow in towards and they are well on their way to making that purchase price. It will certainly be an asset to the community to have a permanent home for the theatre.
The Great 44th Fowler’s Falls Fall Fair Disaster continues at the Globus Theatre, Lakeview Arts Barn near Bobcaygeon, until August 13. 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: The Great 44th Fowler’s Falls Fall Fair Disaster is a murder mystery dinner theatre. Is Barnie Streep, AKA Bumpers the murderer or the victim? Bumpers, the carnie at the fair, sports the always-popular mullet.
The Great 44th Fowler’s Falls Fall Fair Disaster
By Sarah Quick
Directed by Sarah Quick
Performed by J. P. Baldwin, Chris Gibbs, Kerry Griffin, Jo Haydock, Dave Herald, Jennine Profeta.
Globus Theatre, Lakeview Arts Barn, Bobcaygeon
August 3 to 13, 2022
Reviewed by Mary Alderson