One of the things that I wanted to do while my parents were here visiting was the Suspects Dinner Theatre aboard the majestic Delta King in Old Sacramento. If you haven’t been to the show, it’s an inexpensive way to visit a historic venue, have a pretty good dinner, and be entertained by a hilarious sequence of dastardly murders.

When you arrive you are taken to your assigned table and presented with an Answer Form. I won’t show you my answer form here, because if you’re planning to be at the show any time in the next several months it will ruin the surprise for you. Basically the answer form has you enter your name, list out the names of the three victims, the person(s) who murdered them, and why they were murdered.

That’s the nuts and bolts of the show, with a bunch of other ridiculousness sprinkled in for good measure. The actors did a great job keeping the crowd entertained, kept the evening flowing, and made for a very enjoyable evening.

Once the murders had taken place and they clues were reviewed, they collected all the answer forms for the “judging”. Basically the person who solved all three mysteries with the most amount of detail won, and they were awarded with the 1st Place Super Sleuth prize.

Guess who won?

That’s right. Yours truly got the top prize for getting all of the answers correct, and likely the most creative answers. I will admit that I did do a little kissing up to the judges on my answer form.

I MAY have insinuated that the judges were wonderful people, and I MIGHT have told them what a great job they were doing. But alas, I still got all the answers right ;-).

It was a delightful evening all around, and we got the chance to dress up a bit and solve a few murders.

If you get the opportunity, go see the show. You can buy tickets online or via phone, and they are very reasonable for an evening out. The show lasts about 2.5 hours, which includes the meal (your choice of beef, chicken, or vegetarian options), and the actors do a wonderful job - you might even recognize some of them from other work they’ve done in local theatres.

Good sleuthing everyone!

Get your tickets now!!!

Can I just say, I am exhausted.

I have built numerous set elements for the upcoming show, am running the tech week rehearsals, desperately hoping everyone remembers their lines when we open Friday (and that everyone shows up on time), still trying to make sure we have all the props, wondering how on earth we are going to change Kevin’s costume 3 times in less than 20 seconds each, and drinking more sugar free rockstar’s in a week than most people drink in an entire year.

I’m kaput, exhausted, ugh.

I long for sleep…or a grapefruit.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A down-and out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon “Audrey II” grows into a ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers the assistant fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite.

One of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time, this spoof of 1950’s sci-fi movies comes to Runaway Stage Productions (RSP) in Sacramento, California.

With an all-star cast - Tristan Rumery as the awkward and unlikely horticultural hero, Amber Jean Moore as the blond bombshell of an assistant, Bob Baxter as the down-on-his-luck shop owner, and Kevin Caravelho as the hilariously sadistic dentist - Little Shop of Horrors will have your sides sore from laughter and surprise.

“The last time this man-eating musical was produced by RSP as a main-stage Broadway show was in the year 2000, and now it is time for this hilarious show to eat its way into the hearts of RSP audiences again.” - Bob Baxter, Producing Director.

Show Dates: Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. July 6-29 at the 24th Street Theatre in Sacramento.

Tickets: $18 adult, $16 student/seniors/SARTA, $12 children - Group Rates for 10 or more. Purchase tickets online at www.runawaystage.com or call the box office at (916) 207-1226.

Runaway Stage Productions is also looking for actors for the upcoming performances of: Jesus Christ Superstar, Snow White, and The Music Man Jr. Audition information is available at: www.runawaystage.com/auditions.html.

Runaway Stage Productions presents Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

That’s right folks, your favourite local community theatre is putting on a show! Opening May 4, Oklahoma! will run through the end of the month, with shows every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday and Saturday shows have an 8pm curtain, with 2pm matinee’s on Sunday. This is a “don’t miss event” if you are in the Sacramento area!

Tickets are now on sale through the Runaway Stage Box Office, and are very reasonably priced at $18 (senior and group rates are also available). Tickets for this exciting show have typically been a sell-out so get your seats reserved early to make sure you can hear the exciting tunes from this musical comedy.

With songs like “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” and “Farmer and the Cowman“, you’ll be dancing in your seat as the cast entertains. This very large cast has been working for months to perfect the show, and David and I have been working behind the scenes as Asst. Director/Lighting Design and Stage Manager, to make sure the runs go smoothly.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see this production!!!

See you at the show!