By Ashley Schreyer
Correspondent
The lights flicker, a scream shatters the darkness and millionaire Walter Donald Douglas falls to a not-so-graceful death.
This was the scene painted last Friday and Saturday nights aboard the All College Theatre’s “Murdership: Titanic,” held in the Brower Student Center.
The show began with a buffet-style dinner catered by Mamma Flora’s in Ewing. Attendees waited in line for their meals while actors roamed about the room in character, gossiping with each other and the audience.
“I hope you have a great time aboard the Titanic. Unsinkable ship they say!” a peasant cast member yelled to the audience before the show began.
When everyone was seated, the show began with the captain, played by Kayla Riddleberger, and her sidekick “Pappy,” played by Dan Loverro, welcoming everyone aboard. The ship’s first annual grand ball was exclusively attended by first-class passengers.
Pappy checked several guests into the ballroom, including Walter Donald Douglas, the inventor of Quaker Oats, played by Jon Dowler. A minor incident occurs when the kitchen’s chefs find rats in the soup, but the captain shakes it off with little concern.
Suddenly, the lights go out when the ship hits an iceberg and it is discovered that Walter Donald Douglas is dead. Detective Wallace Scherer, played by Zach Dzierzgowski, arrives on the scene and informs everyone that Douglas has been murdered with rat poison. A frantic investigation to find the killer before the ship sinks ensues.
Detective Scherer questions every guest of the ball and then opens up the questioning to audience members.As the ship is about to sink, fifth class passenger Seamus O’Dwyer is revealed to be the murderer. Afterward, water engulfs the passengers and they float into the crowd, ending the performance.
“I loved the performance and the actors are hilarious. Pappy and the detective were by far my favorite,” Katie Seaman, sophomore open options major said.
Brad Heisler, senior communication studies major and writer, director and producer of the show, was pleased with the overall performance.
“I thought it went very well,” Heisler said after the show.
During the intermission, audience members were instructed to guess their murderer and state why, and only one audience member guessed correctly at the Friday night show. However, the two complimentary tickets to ACT’s “An Evening of Shorts” on Feb. 22 and 23 were issued to the person with the funniest response.
