Little Moments Like That: Opening Night

Friday, November 3, 2017

Opening Night

Last night after our final dress rehearsal, Mrs. Lovitt and I put these signs on all the cast's lockers.

And look what is on the front page of the newspaper this week!!!

The show opens in the U-Move-It truck rental office in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where after-hours workers Bud and Mac find a steamer trunk has been left on one of their trucks.

They decide to open it, and discover a dead man inside. They decide not to tell anyone and close it back up.

The narrator welcomes everyone to "the mystery zone."

Store owners, Sam and Ella Frinkle, re-discover the trunk and the body when they come to open the store.

Sam and Ella decide not to call an ambulance or hearse, but rather 911.

Detectives Goodman and Badham come to get the details on the body in the trunk.

Goodman and Badham follow the truck's rental records to Genovese's South Side Tavern, where they meet Trixie the waitress and Iggy Clam.

Iggy tells them he rented the U-Move-It truck in Chicago.

The case has crossed state lines, so the FBI must become involved. Agents Sullen and Muledeer are sent to the Chicago U-Move-It office to meet owners George and Martha Albee and learn more about the case of the traveling trunk.

George and Martha remember the truck was rented by a strange woman, Madame Dubois, and returned 2 weeks late.

Badham and Goodman chat with Sullen and Muledeer about the unfolding details of the case.

Agent Muledeer is obsessed with the possibility of alien and paranormal involvement in any and every case, and tries to urge Agent Sullen to suggest the possibility to Detective Badham.

Madame Dubois' assistant Noel tells her there is someone visiting her home about something...questions may have been mentioned at some point.

While Agents Sullen and Muledeer try to question Madame about the rental truck and steamer trunk, she has trouble remembering much about them but can recall all kinds of details about her days as a member of the theatrical community.

Noel is amused by the name Sheboygan and keeps repeating it.

While visiting Madame and Noel, the FBI agents learned that they'd loaned the rented U-Move-It truck to some friends who were touring the country in a musical revue. They head to Peoria to catch up with Edie Buffet at the Fabulous Kabuki Room of the Holiday Inn downtown.

Edie Buffet and Nick Niagra interact with their audience.

Agents Sullen and Muledeer interrupt Edie's and Nick's act to question them about the truck, the trunk, and the body inside it.

Nick has a song for everything!

Edie explains that she's had a million steamer trunks but, "Lord only knows where they are now!"

Sullen and Muledeer decide it's time for a break in Edie and Nick's act now.

Narrator invites the audience to do as Agent Muledeer suggested and, "Have some pudding."

Act 2 begins with all 4 detectives discussing the details of this mystery.

Agent Sullen mocks Agent Muledeer about alien involvement in the case.

Inspector Badham grows frustrated about the complicated details of the case, while Detective Goodman has already issued warrants for all the suspects and had them all extradited to Kenosha.

Edie is outraged about missing a gig at the Hoboken VFW to be dragged in for questioning at the police station!

Edie and Madame are happy to see each other, while still outraged at being in a place such as this.

"Woe is me, it's off to the big house!"

Nick tries to keep things light at the police station, but Edie is not amused.

Noel is disappointed when Madame tells him the only bars at the police station are the ones you stand behind.

Noel decides to take a little nappypoo, Iggy arrives, and Madame demands to know why they've all been brought there.

Goodman and Badham inform them that they're all under suspicion of the murder of Howard Pepper.

None of the suspects know anything about a dead body in a trunk...

Agent Muledeer arrives with Agent Sullen and all of his friends from a UFO and Science Fiction convention taking place in town.

The detectives decide to open it up for questioning of the suspects.

Edie and Nick admit they do carry blades when they travel, in case of emergency.

Iggy doesn't wish to discuss his prior convictions.

Madame and Noel have differing stories about how they met.

Narrator invites the audience to mark their resolution forms, indicating which suspect they think is guilty of murder.

The audience seemed to enjoy discussing the case and voicing their opinion.

After the collecting of the forms, Narrator explains that the detectives are just as confused as before.

However, Detective Goodman rushes in to say he's discovered some information that may finally solve this baffling case.

The suspects are gathered again.

Detective Goodman explains that he's discovered that Howard Pepper wrote scathing reviews about each of the suspects, AND that they all happened to be at an alumni reunion together recently.