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'Murder' mystery is another hit in Chagrin
(by Sue Reid - September 11, 2008)
'Murder' mystery is another hit in Chagrin
By SUE REID
Just minutes before curtain time Saturday at the Chagrin Valley Little Theater, where a sold-out crowd awaited the second night of the 23rd annual "Murder by the Falls," writer and director Donald Edelman joked that "the third time is a charm."
Mr. Edelman, a Chagrin Falls resident and longtime supporter and actor with the CVLT, has written and directed the annual "whodunit" fund-raiser for the third time.
His latest effort, entitled "Desperate Merchants," pit merchants against coffeehouse owners in a town very similar to Chagrin Falls. The play begins with a fire that destroys a local coffeehouse and is followed by a series of events that plague each shop owner. In the middle of all the mayhem is an unscrupulous gossip columnist, Helen Heresay, whose murder the audience set out to solve.
Complete with inside jokes only the locals could appreciate and a hand-picked cast by Mr. Edelman, "Desperate Merchants" kept members of the audience in stitches and on their toes.
Cleverly named characters included: Ms. Hearsay, played by Cindee Catalano; Ellie Ghant, played by Carol Ernst; Vera Pretty, played by Jan Jones; Joe Merchant, played by Bob Fortlage; and Fred Pike, played by Chagrin Falls Councilman Dwight Milko. Other performers included: Frank Mularo, as Inspector Gotcha; Sy Levine, in the role of Max Wellman, owner of the Discount Java Mart; and Kris Tesar, as W.C. Mason, the women's committee president. Inspector Gotcha's sidekick, Barb, was portrayed by the Chagrin Valley Times' Barbara Christian.
Pat Mazzarino, who portrayed beauty salon proprietor "Mannie Curist," landed the most laughs. Dialogue shared by real-life village officials, including Mayor Thomas Brick, Police Chief James Brosius and Fire Chief Frank Zugan, also made for good, light-hearted entertainment.
"I didn't want to knock the merchants in Chagrin Falls," Mr. Edelman said, "but we did want to do something about the merchants being desperate." Add all the Chagrin Falls destinations for coffee, such as Starbucks, Einstein Bagels and Yours Truly, and the rest "just evolved," he said. "I write with everyone in mind."
Chagrin Valley Little Theater President Thomas Neff said the success of "Murder" each year centers on the fact that, while there are differences, there is a common theme -- a murder, the falls and "lots of innovation by writers."
"The cast is outstanding," Mr. Neff told the audience. "It's a great group of people. You will find a lot of surprises."
Perhaps the biggest one of all was the identity of the murderer itself -- a hanging plant! Like all the issues that adversely affected the merchants, Ms. Heresay's murder was an accident. Lightning struck a hanging plant that fell on her.
"This was the strangest case I ever worked on," Inspector Gotchka told the audience early on.
"Twenty-three people have been murdered in Chagrin Falls," Mr. Neff said. "It's a perfect day for me."
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