‘I Do or Die’ and enjoyable evening out
The “I Do or Die” murder mystery hosted by the Resident Housing Student Association and the Lewis Vaughn Production Company, was a cross between The Wedding Singer and the game Clue.
From the beginning the cast was in full gear greeting guests as they arrived in the TSC Ballroom.
The theme was a wedding luncheon in which the audience became the guests.
As an ’80s music fan, I enjoyed the cheesy ’80s love songs playing as guests arrived and during both intermissions.
Although, I must admit, some of the songs were too cheesy even for me, but it was all part of the theme – a cheesy ’80s murder mystery with two lovers, two completely unwilling families and a lot of contention to bring about a death or two, or three, or six.
Remind you of something, oh yes… Romeo and Juliet. Except with a twist. The bride’s family is high society and the groom’s family is deemed “white trash.”
And in this Romeo and Juliet spin-off, Juliet, or in this play, Wendy, turned out to be never happy and always complaining about the flowers, the colors, her dress and even when her fiancé’s father died she complained about her wedding dress.
However, who could blame her when her fiancé turns out to be the mastermind behind the entire scenario of six deaths because he was actually in love with Wendy’s sister’s nanny.
Confused yet?
Well, it does sound like a potential Jerry Springer cat-fight, but with a little more refinement and filled with sudden musical outbursts from Moulin Rouge’s Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend to It’s Raining Men and Let’s Get Physical.
Basically I have to pull out the old phrase “You had to be there.”
This is especially true when Marisa Neilson, an 8-year-old who played a 29-year-old midget and undercover detective disguised as a 10-year-old, began to sing.
Neilson wowed the audience when she opened her mouth and sang like a professional – do local talent agencies know about her? Every time she finished singing the audience quickly and enthusiastically clapped while secretly wishing she would continue singing.
The program said she was “an aspiring young singer with talents of gold,” and I, with the rest of the audience, fully agree.
At the wedding luncheon a buffet was served after the first act.
Green beans, chicken in some kind of sauce, rolls, mandarin orange salad, wild rice and, of coarse, wedding cake.
It was a very satisfying meal to compliment the evening’s enthusiastic characters as they came to each table visiting with guests.
The RHSA members, along with the Lewis Vaughn Production Company, pulled the entire evening together as part of RHSA week. They starred in, cleared tables and planned all the details well.
Maybe $10 was a little pricey for the evening, but it was still an enjoyable show with a lot of effort behind it.