When performing a murder mystery for those who are authorities on the subject, one must not choke under the pressure. One should not take an uncertain shot in the dark, but must confidently hit the audience’s “wow” spot . . . and that’s exactly what the Riddlesbrood Touring Theater Company did to a banquet room full of expert mystery writers when they performed their Sherlock Holmes show at the Deadly Ink Mystery Writer’s Conference held recently at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ back in 2014. It seems like just yesterday!
Although choking and shooting are popular methods for killing off murder victims in a mystery plot, they’re not recommended during an awards banquet, unless of course you’re watching them during a hilarious Riddlesbrood murder mystery show. “We’re honored to be chosen as the official murder mystery theater for this year’s Deadly Ink conference,” said Clyde P, founder of Riddlesbrood, “and we thank Debby Buchanan, Deadly Ink’s chairperson, for inviting us to perform at this prestigious event. We’re thrilled we had the opportunity to entertain such an accomplished group of published authors and mystery writers.”
The Riddlesbrood Touring Theater Company was recommended to entertain at the Deadly Ink conference by Tricia Vanderhoof, a published author and journalist for The Daily Record (Gannett Publishing) newspaper after she’d seen the group perform at another function. She knew that Debby Buchanan, chair of Deadly Ink since 2006, needed to add entertainment to the annual awards banquet to make it more fun . . . and fun was exactly what Riddlesbrood added to the evening. “Riddlesbrood was hysterical!” exclaimed Roberta Rogow, the convention’s hotel liaison and author of historical mysteries and science fiction folk music.
The Riddlesbrood actors performed their version of Sherlock Holmes with appearances by several outrageous suspects of their own invention, including a bubble-butt attorney named Hugh Jass, an absurd, oversized Italian chef, a ludicrous one-eyed pirate with a cantankerous parrot, and a zany Scottsman with a hilarious over-the-top accent, along with a cast of quirky main-character detectives including a satirical, quick-with-the one-liners inspector from Scotland Yard, a comical, yet shrewd, Sherlock Holmes, and a dim-witted, reluctant side-kick named Irene Adler. Their corny jokes ricocheted off the walls of the banquet room like bullets from the murder weapon, and with all the groaning heard from the audience, you would have thought they’d actually been shot! Fortunately the groaning was light-hearted and accompanied by smiles and laughter as the audience identified clues interwoven throughout the “who-done-it” plot that ended when one especially astute mystery writer correctly deciphered the murderer’s identity, the weapon, and the motive.
Sherlock Holmes Fraternizing with the Guests Prior to the Show
This year’s Murder Mystery conference was attended by over 100 writers including Don and Renee Paley-Bain, the famous husband and wife team who write the popular “Murder She Wrote” series of novels, as well as numerous other works. The Bains spoke at the conference’s Saturday evening awards banquet after Riddlesbrood performed their Sherlock Holmes murder mystery show. The successful writing duo has been promoting the 25th anniversary of the “Murder She Wrote” series, celebrating 43 books in print. They encouraged writers to write every day, whether they feel like it or not. They also shared some insightful tips on crafting a murder mystery such as . . . Americans like to find the murder victim face up, while Brits prefer to find the body face down . . . a detail that was not lost on the Riddlesbrood troupe, as their victim died face up!
The evening concluded with author, Eileen Watkins winning the annual “David Award” for her novel, “Dark Music.” The “David Award” was created by Deadly Ink chairperson Debby Buchanan to honor her fiancée after his death. It’s awarded annually to a mystery author from nominations put forth by fellow authors and conference attendees. In 2006, Debby assumed chairmanship of Deadly Ink when the original founder, Patti Biringer, stepped down after running the event for about seven years. “I always enjoyed attending the Deadly Ink conference,” Debbie explained, “and when Patti announced she was stepping down, I knew I wanted to keep it going. We’re all volunteers, and I have a great team who works hard every year to make the conference happen.” When Debbie decided to add entertainment to this year’s awards banquet, she knew that a murder mystery show would be perfect for the mystery writing crowd. After reviewing a few options, she chose Riddlesbrood for their professionalism, experience, outstanding reputation, and exemplary customer service. “Riddlesbrood got back to me right away . . . they were easy to work with . . . and the show was fantastic!”
Don and Renee Paley-Bain of Murder She Wrote
Riddlesbrood Touring Theater Company has over fourteen years’ experience performing several hilarious murder mystery themes and other original shows. In addition, with sufficient advance notice, they can even customize a show especially for your group. When Riddlesbrood performs at your event, you can be reassured you’re working with the best mobile theater group in the New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware area, and they’re also willing to travel, so contact them to discuss your event’s needs at 866-276-6399 or visit Murder Mystery Party Packages for more information.
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