Tag Archives: murder mystery

Still Talking about That Murder Mystery!

Posted on May 1, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about one last pre-rehearsal post?  This evening we are meeting one last time before our second performance of Recipe for Murder Royale this Saturday, May 3 at the Herkimer Elks Lodge to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I wonder if my readers are getting sick of hearing about it?  If so, they c;an always skip this post.  I do have just a couple more pictures.

Oh dear, it’s a little blurry.

This is Carmen Sophronia, our Italian chef, who fancies herself as a singer.

I knew this one was blurry, but who could argue with a queen?

This is Queen Elizabeth Foredore.  When I told one audience member at Salisbury Grange her name, he said that was kind of cliche.  For heavens’ sake, there have been two English queens named Elizabeth in history.  How does that make it a cliche?  Anyways, it is a Queen Elizabeth costume.  I guess no writer likes to be told her work is cliche.  Maybe I’ll kill off that guy in my next script.

I gotta share it one more time!

Two more days for local readers to decide to attend!  It isn’t sold out yet, but while I was at the Elks Lodge yesterday, somebody called and said they were going to stop down Friday and pick up tickets.  I’d best look over my lines again!

 

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More Murder on the Menu

Posted on April 29, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Here are a few of the “action” shots I took during the mingling portion of Recipe for Murder Royale at Salisbury Grange Sunday afternoon.  We are to present the show again this Saturday, May 3, at Herkimer Elks Lodge to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society, so this is also in the nature of a Preview of Coming Attractions.

I was supposed to be walking around mingling with the crowd myself, but since my character was an organizer of the event, I thought it was natural for me to take a couple of pictures.

These two are married in real life.

Our French chef and our backwoods boy were both popular characters. I thought it was delightful that BillyBob Bodine wore a bow-tie for the occasion.

It was a spontaneous smile.

In another in-character move, I asked my assistant to place the ballots on the tables.  This was where people would write their guesses as to who the murderer was.  Of course, I didn’t know there was going to be a murder (wink, wink), so I said Albert Graves (unaccountably absent) had said to put out the papers; I didn’t know why.

I dare share it again!

The last I knew tickets were still available, in case any of my local readers is interested.  I personally am looking forward to the dinner.  Italian Chicken Soup made with real Italians, who could resist?

 

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One Dead, One to Go!

Posted on April 28, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Our performance of Recipe for Murder Royale at Salisbury Grange went very well.  They seemed not to notice where we messed up.  Um, I mean, we didn’t mess up!  That is the thrill of live performance.

The unusual suspects.

One of the Grange people took a cast picture after it was all over.  What a great group of people this was to work with!  I must say I have been very fortunate in my murder mystery casts.  I get the nicest, most talented people.  Like the song says, there’s no people like show people!

Big smiles now that it was over!

I guess I don’t have a whole lot more to say than it went great!  Here we are in our costumes!  How dull of me.  I feel certain my readers will forgive me (especially since I refrained from calling them Shirley for once).

Only missing me and the Queen.

I did try to surreptitiously take a few action shots while we were mingling with the audience before the scripted part of the performance.  I may use them for another blog post. I will decide that subsequently.

One more to go!

We will perform the show again this Saturday at Herkimer Elks Lodge to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I’m sure it will be very fun.  Tickets are still available, in case any local readers are interested!

 

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After All, I’ve Killed Before

Posted on April 27, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was hoping to make a quick blog post before getting ready for our performance of Recipe for Murder Royale, the murder mystery we are presenting to benefit Salisbury Grange.  We have not rehearsed at the Grange, but I feel that is the least of my worries.  Did I say I was worried?  Say it ain’t so!  But I think many performers get butterflies of one sort of another.

This is us!

My butterflies are often regarding the pesky details moreso than the performance itself (moreso isn’t a word?  Who knew) (oh I just checked:  it is a nonstandard spelling).  Much like the butterflies I get before a road race:  I am more concerned with finding a parking space and getting to the starting line on time than the actual running.  It is not a perfect parallel, however.  I harbor a few qualms about the performance.  After all, running is a fairly straightforward proposition.  In theatre, you have lines to remember and other actors to deal with.

Well that little sidetrack took my mind off my troubles for a few minutes.

What I have to worry about this morning is getting ready, making sure I have something to eat (not easy since I have not been grocery shopping), getting to the Grange (I’ve driven there before, but regular readers know my propensity for getting lost).  Getting ready is the main thing.  What, oh what am I going to do with my hair?  I was growing it out for Prescription: Murder, and that worked out fairly well, with the help of the wonderful woman who volunteered to do hair and make-up.

I will NOT be able to do this myself!

Well, I will wash it and perhaps blow it dry and see what I can do. Time to look over my lines again, take my shower, get something to eat (not all at once, but no promises about that given my dithery state of mind).  I’m sure I’ll break a leg.  If I forget all my lines, my castmates may break it for me!

 

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I Would Kill for a Good Meal

Posted on April 24, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I failed to take any pictures of last night’s rehearsal for Recipe for Murder Royale, the murder mystery we are presenting Sunday to benefit Salisbury Grange then again May 3 to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  However, I have some fun information to impart.

Mmmm… Hats and Broccoli

Of course I am looking forward to the lunch at the Grange on Sunday, but I have to really hand it to the chef catering at the Elks next Saturday.

A nice appetizing little murder.

The poster does not include the menu, but I saw a copy and wrote it down.  Diners will enjoy Italian Chicken Stew made with real Italians, and Roasted Cauliflower or is it brains?  Main dishes include Baked Chicken (sure… we’ll call it chicken)  and Balsamic Pork (wink, wink).  And watch out for the Sauteed Peas and Pearl Onions; those are definitely not eyeballs!  Dinner will conclude with some desserts to die for.

How fun is that?  I should be so creative!

Here’s an actress to die for!

Here is a shot of one of my actors at the Grange in April 2023, when we did Shooting at the Grange.  She will look different this time out; in fact, she will put the Royal in Recipe for Murder Royale.  I will definitely try to get pictures!

 

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Once Again, Technology Eludes Me

Posted on April 18, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Can I manage a Throwback Thursday Post today?  Full Disclosure:  I was at the Herkimer Elks Lodge and had a few glasses of wine.  In my defense, I had to go and answer a few questions about Recipe for Murder Royale, the murder mystery we are presenting there to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I know, I only could have answered the questions and gone home.  I chose the more fun option.

Oh swell.  I can’t figure out how to get the flier of the murder mystery onto my blog post.  I suppose it is not very surprising  considering my full disclosure.

Here it is!

It is now Friday morning, so I call this a late post and do not despair of making a Lame Post Friday post later today.  I still haven’t figured out how to get a picture from Facebook to my blog on my Chromebook, but I can do it on my phone.  I didn’t think of doing that last night, silly me!

And while I was at it…

I also managed to share the flier from the show at Salisbury Grange, a week earlier.  That makes this NOT a Throwback Thursday post.  Oh dear.  Should I edit the first paragraph or continue in my stream of consciousness way?

This was a fun one!

One throwback, to the original production of Donate to Murder, presented at Herkimer Elks in 2019 (we presented it again a couple years later).  I’m in the feather hat on the left, then Tucker Lester in the Steam Punk goggles, my late dearly missed husband Steve, and Laura Powers.  I would love to work with both Tucker and Laura again, but they are very busy these days, alas!

I see I approach 300 words, which is pretty good for a late post.  I think I”ll bill this as a Non-Sequitur Thursday and drive on.  As always, I thank you for tuning in.

 

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At Last! A Post-Rehearsal Post!

Posted on April 17, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had another rehearsal for Recipe for Murder Royale, the murder mystery we are doing to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society, tonight and remembered to take a few pictures!  They weren’t the best pictures, but one does what one can.

We rehearsed at Herkimer Elks Lodge.

The setting of the mystery is that we are a group of people putting together a new recipe book, a royal recipe book, with all the recipes tested by royalty.  Our money man is missing.  We do hope nothing has happened to him.

None of us know our lines yet.

We are putting on the murder mystery twice, once at the Elks to benefit the Historical Society, and once at Salisbury Grange to benefit them.  We rehearsed at the Elks because it is closer for all of us.

You can’t tell in this picture, but it is a dramatic moment.

Rehearsals are going pretty well. I think I have a great group of actors this time.  I almost always do.  There is a lot of talent in the Mohawk Valley!

This was actually the first picture I took.

I guess I don’t have too much to say so far.  Can we call this a Wuss-out Wednesday? I fear I am a little tired after my rehearsal.  As usual, I will try for a better blog post tomorrow.

 

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Tired Tuesday During Dateline

Posted on April 16, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

The quest to be a daily blogger continues with numerous setbacks.  Yes, I missed making a post on Monday and am here with little to say on Tuesday.  I just can’t get myself out to do things to blog about.  I have gone running for the past two days, with a fairly amusing narration in my head, so I could have done Running Commentaries.  I had another rehearsal for Recipe for Murder Royale, the murder mystery we are doing for Salisbury Grange and Herkimer County Historical Society, but once again neglected to take pictures.  And that’s about it.  Oh, I went to a meeting of the Village of Ilion Board of Trustees, to cover it for Sentinel Media.

Right now I am lounged on my couch, half looking at a very interesting episode of Dateline on Roku TV.  I am disappointed I did not catch it from the beginning, but perhaps it will come my way again.  I like to watch the Roku channel that is All Dateline All The Time. True crime is my life!

I love Dateline.

I just took a long time to find that illustration in my Media Library.  I keep thinking I am going to make an index of everything that I have in my Media Library, but it seems a daunting task.  Then again, I am daunted by many potential tasks these days.  I must do something about myself.

In the meantime, I am over 200 words.  I shall call this a Tired Tuesday Post and drive on.  I suspect I have already used the headline “Tired Tuesday During Dateline,” but these things happen. I continue to strive for a better blog post, and once again I thank you for tuning in.

 

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Another Murder Mystery Begins!

Posted on April 14, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Something I did not mention in my previous post:  on my cool down walk on Saturday I figured out the Big Clue to my murder mystery Recipe for Murder Royale.  Would it work?  I thought it would!  I got home and typed it into the script I was working on.  I emailed it out.  I composed the Conclusion. I withheld that till the first rehearsal, as I like to do.

We had our first read-through this evening.  My cast liked the script!  They thought the conclusion was good!  We are on our way to a good murder mystery!  Stupid me forgot to take a picture of the cast.

A suspicious looking lady.

This is a picture from a previous murder mystery at Salisbury Grange. This actress is in the next murder mystery but in a completely different costume.

Oh swell. I cant’t figure out how to get the flier from the Historical Society onto my blog post.  I think I can do it on my Tablet or phone but not here on my Chromebook.  Full disclosure:  after our rehearsal this afternoon I had a couple of drinks.  I thought I might not make my blog post till tomorrow morning then reconsidered.  It may not have been the best decision.

In any case, Recipe for Murder Royale  will be presented Sunday April 27 at Salisbury Grange in a lunchtime show to benefit the Grange, and Saturday, May 3 at Herkimer Elks Lodge to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  I will share more details in subsequent posts.

 

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In Haste and In Need of a Second Wind

Posted on April 6, 2025 by mohawkvalleygirl

Oh dear, this is terrible.  I have about 45 minutes before I have to leave for the theatre and I am SO TIRED!!!  Never mind why; explanations are tiresome.  For anybody just tuning in, the theatre is Ilion Little Theatre for the play I am in, Prescription: Murder.  Everybody tells me I am doing a splendid job (although I don’t think anyone has actually used the word “splendid”), and I have no reason to believe they are insincere.

Me in the play, before I am dead.

I do not have any new pictures of the play to share, unfortunately, so I share this one again.  What a hair-do!  I tried to preserve it overnight by wrapping a scarf around my head and trying not to toss and turn too much.  I had little success, then the mop got rained on this afternoon.  It was, as they say, a good day for ducks.  It was actually a good day to stay home, but I did not, alas.

Columbo plays his game of cat and mouse.

It may be obvious by now that I got nuthin’.  Yes, I am brain dead but most somehow catch a second wind by 7:30 when the curtain opens.  I will try to take some more backstage pictures for your entertainment tomorrow, on Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  Then I must navigate my way through Post-Play Letdown while putting together the murder mystery Recipe for Murder Royale (preview of coming attractions).  As always, I hope you will stay tuned.

 

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