Can You Solve The Mystery? DLA Drama’s “The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens” Opens

Poster by Liv Lestrange

Edward Worthington III has just been murdered. But who did it? Was it the butler? Was it his daughter? Was it one of his wives? Those are the questions being asked in DLA Drama’s upcoming murder-mystery comedy, “The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens,” which opens this Friday (Thursday if you’re a DLA scholar).

A stormy night clouds over the sky above Worthington Manor. A lavish mansion set against the eerie backdrop of rain and thunder: the perfect setting for a murder mystery, as the narrator would boast. It is millionaire Edward Worthington III’s 50th birthday, and he is inviting his friends and family to celebrate the occasion. Though their stories may be different, they all have one thing in common – Edward’s money. It pays his employees. It takes care of his aging sister. It supports his ex-wife and their daughter. It gives his current wife a glamorous life. The threat of Edward taking all of that away looms above their heads, and they will do anything to prevent it from becoming reality. Anything.

Thunder violently rumbles and suddenly all of the lights go out. The pitch-blackness brings about chaos, and anything could happen in a room full of fear and confusion. The lights come back on, and Edward is dead. Now the question is: who could have killed him? Everyone has a motive. Bottom line: everyone is a suspect. No one is safe.

To promote this play, Ruby Clasen (who also plays the maid in the show, Edith) created several different posters showing off each of the individual characters one would see in the play. They are all currently hanging in various parts of the school. But if someone didn’t want to search the entire campus and just wanted to see them all together, all they would have to do is take a walk to the front of the theater.

Posters by Ruby Clasen

When DLA Drama says “Come solve our murder,” they mean exactly that. An interesting niche used in this production is the mid show interrogation bit, where audience members are invited to ask the onstage characters anything they want in order to figure out who the killer is. This means that all of the actors’ answers have to be fully in character and improvised on the spot, something that the Drama Monsters have never attempted before.

“We had to do character work,” said senior, Liv Lestrange. “It was quite in depth. We had to create an entire character instead of these caricatures. I basically made a biography of my character, Roy Phillips, and created a past for him and wrote descriptions of his relationship with other characters.”

Sylvia Tran says, “I’m pretty nervous because it’s unscripted and therefore unpredictable, but it’s an interesting concept that I’m excited to do.”

Something true of DLA Drama is that their stage sets keep getting better and better with each and every play. In “Zombie Prom,” they used double sided flats. In “She Loves Me,” their entire main set rotated, opened up and closed. Now, the stage directions for “The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens” don’t call for any set moving whatsoever. Thus, that gives them the opportunity to go all out with their set this time. And go all out they did. DLA Drama’s Worthington Manor features flats that measure 11 feet high, a staircase, french doors, fully functional lights, and a chandelier that can be turned on and off by onstage switches. Aside from that, this decked out mansion set is fully furnished with both a dining and a lounging area. Of course, if one wants to see this set in all it’s glory, they would have to come and buy a ticket to the show (Or come in during their allotted preview time. Whatever works best).

“I am thrilled to have this experience to round out my time as a drama student,” said senior, Bethany Taylor. It’s incredible to see how much the program has grown over the last four years and to see all of the time and effort I’ve put into building it pay off.”

Wanna help solve the murder? Here’s when you can see the show:

Special Scholar Performance

Thursday, April 12 at 5:00 PM.

$5 admission fee.

Opening Night

Friday the 13th at 7:00 PM.

$7 for scholars, $10 for adults.

Matinee

Saturday, April 14 at 2:00 PM.

$7 for scholars, $10 for adults.

Closing Night

Saturday, April 14 at 7:00 PM.

$7 for scholars, $10 for adults.