Writer/director Joan Robb Fradkin and producer/performer Nancy Gutfreund are bringing back Acting Out Theatre Group’s upscale dinner theater at Opal with a new mystery called Murder at the Barely Scarem Circus. Last year’s A Dark and Stormy Night, says Fradkin, was a “smashing success” that demanded an extended run. This year’s mystery, written by Fradkin, investigates a carnival crime scene. “It’s a ragtag circus,” says Gutfreund, who is making her return to acting in this production as an aging scarf dancer with a deep jealousy for a pretty, young trapeze artist. “I like to call it a dysfunctional circus,” she says. “It’s the worst-rated circus in the world on Yelp.”
Many murder-mystery dinner theater experiences are interactive, and Murder at the Barely Scarem Circus is as well. The show includes a three-course meal of appetizer, entrée, dessert, and an alcoholic beverage. During pauses in dramatic action for dinner service, the audience gets a chance to put their heads together, discuss their suspicions about which character is the murderer, and unravel the mystery. “It’s community building,” says Fradkin, who points out that while people enjoy participating, not everyone wants to be put in the middle of the scene. “People want to sit back, relax, and enjoy an evening of good food and entertainment,” she says. “They get to participate without having to act.”
The show currently has three scheduled performances at Opal restaurant downtown: October 14, 28, and November 4. Expect comedy, incompetent circus performers, and delusions of grandeur, along with murder most foul.
To reserve your space at the Barely Scarem Circus, email the company at actingoutheatregroup@gmail.com or give them a call at (413) 320-5258. Part of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Santa Barbara ecological nonprofit Heal the Ocean.
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