The mystery is real with the Blyth Festival's 'Resort to Murder'
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
Resort to Murder, Birgitte Solem’s escape room murder mystery begins, rather expectedly, with the declaration that there’s been a murder. If readers would like to hear any more details of the plot of this particular play, they won’t find them within the pages of The Citizen, as it is certainly not within the purview of one’s local community newspaper to spoil a good mystery - especially when it’s an exciting new work by an up-and-coming Canadian playwright.
No, there will be no clues, hints, tips, winks, spoilers or reveals to be found herein - this mystery’s virtue is worth keeping intact. True, at intermission, an astute young audience member, was overheard uttering a cryptic remark, which, in retrospect, proves unequivocally that the heart of this mystery is not, in fact, entirely un-figure-out-able, but there were many more patrons of the play who professed that they were kept perplexed, right to the end.
Turning attention now to the show’s cast, it’s rather hard to know who to trust throughout the twists and turns of this tragedy-tinged comedy. The Blyth audience was just recently introduced to Jamie Mac during his Festival debut in The Farm Show: Then and Now, which premiered out on the Harvest Stage earlier in the season. But what does anybody know about him, really? Mac’s character, Brett, in Resort to Murder is the macabre mind that first concocted the whole concept of the ill-fated escape room on which the whole story hangs. Is it possible that Brett might also be proficient in planning a permanent end for one of his fellow characters?
Lucknow native Fiona Mongillo first worked her way through the Blyth Festival’s Young Company, which means that nobody knows the ins and outs of Memorial Hall more than this flare-haired thespian. Her character, Viv, sure has a positive outlook on life, but what shadowy secrets are hidden beneath that bubbly exterior? Does Viv have a twisted mind driven by the impulse of dark desires?
You could say that Landon Doak has a habit of portraying hapless chaps. In their first role this season, Doak played Canadian theatre legend Miles Potter, way back in the day when he was still wearing shorts in the hayloft. In Resort to Murder, Doak takes on the role of lovestruck goofball Josh. Josh may come across as a fine and upstanding young man, but maybe that’s just what he wanted us to think. Is Josh just lulling audiences into a false sense of security until he musters up the courage to finally make his move... his move to murder, that is!
Multiple witnesses have recently reported seeing Hallie Seline hanging around the Blyth Festival grounds - first in The Donnellys: A Trilogy last summer, and then again in The Farm Show: Then and Now this season. Much like the proverbial bad penny, Seline has turned up yet again as Gayle in Resort to Murder. Gayle may project a tough persona and espouse a fatalistic worldview, but is she really ready to put her murder where her mouth is?
Veteran stage actor Geoffrey Armour is becoming one of the most familiar faces at the Festival. But familiarity should never assuage one’s suspicions - after all, is it ever possible to truly know the heart of another human being? This go-round, Armour has been cast as Silas, the hors-d'oeuvres-toting caterer whose canapes might just be a cover for something far more sinister.
Whichever member of this motley cast of characters eventually ends up on murderer’s row, there’s one thing for certain - the ones who really ‘dunnit’ this time are playwright Solem and director Randy Hughson, who’ve come together to create a real crackerjack of a Blyth Festival play. Even on opening night, Resort to Murder is a show that carries itself with confidence. The writing is quite funny and the ambience is just a bit spooky, thanks in large part to a spot-on effort from the entire design team.