Interview: The Cast And Director of MURDER BY MEMBERSHIP ONLY at Little Theatre Of Mechanicsburg

Thomas Hischak’s Murder By Membership Only invites audiences to solve a mysterious murder at the Orczy Club, an exclusive retreat for women mystery writers in London. Rather than call the police and risk a scandal at the Orczy Club, the remaining members, visitors, and employees of the club are determined to solve the murder themselves. This murder mystery comedy is filled with brilliant twists and turns that keep the audience guessing right up until the very end. Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg presents Murder By Membership Only under the direction of Kristen Borgersen for one final weekend March 6-9. 

The cast features Martha Traverse as the famous and arrogant Octavia Sturges, Patrice Whitson as her secretary Lydia Beaton, Angela Ruediger as retired writer and owner of the Orczy Club Madame Ulrica LeCoq, Tara Mead as the cook Mrs. Balser, Jessica Haag as journalist May Cobbs, Kathy Luft as mystery enthusiast Mrs. Plimpton, Anne Marino as uptight and sarcastic mystery writer Clarice Fergusson, Stephanie Via as friendly and playful mystery writer Hester Tandy, and Andrea Stephenson as young American writer Eve Hawkins. BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to hear from the cast and director about their experience with this engaging and humorous play.

BWW: Kristen, why did you decide to direct this show?

Kristen (Director): I had never heard of the show before I was approached about directing it, but I accepted based on the premise alone, before even reading the script. I loved the idea of a mystery with an all-female cast in the classic, closed-room style. I also immediately started decorating the set in my head with my first reading of the script.

BWW: The set is beautiful—audiences are sure to feel like they’ve been transported to an elegant but cozy writers retreat in London. There are little details included in the set that really bring it to life. Likewise, the costumes set the show firmly in the 80s, complete with lots of plaid, chunky jewelry, and even some crimped hair!

It turns out many of the cast members made the decision to audition for Murder By Membership Only for reasons similar to why Kristen agreed to direct the show.

Anne (Clarice Fergusson): I auditioned for the show because of the opportunity to work with a woman director and an all-female cast.  I thought it could be a very fun and communal experience, which it definitely has been.

Jessica (May Cobbs): I decided to audition for the show partly due to my love of mysteries and partly because I loved the idea of a show with all female characters of various ages.

Tara (Mrs. Balser): I was very intrigued by this being an all-woman cast, and I loved the premise of the story.

BWW: Not surprisingly, several of the cast members, in addition to the director, are fans of the mystery genre.

Angela (Madame LaCoq): I like a good mystery book. Louise Penny is a favorite, and I enjoy listening to books by Kathy Reichs on cd when I have a long drive. I also enjoy Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats mystery series.

Stephanie (Hester Tandy): I enjoy a good mystery. Actually, I love solving puzzles of all kinds. It’s a little basic, perhaps, but I enjoy the Sherlock Holmes books by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Jessica (May Cobbs): I LOVE mystery books. I have been reading mysteries since I was a little girl reading about the adventures of Nancy Drew. My favorite author is Agatha Christie. I love her books because I can solve many mystery novels that I read, but she can still stump me more often than most. My favorite part of the genre is that reading mysteries feels more active than passive, requiring a reader use logic and reasoning to piece together the solution.

BWW: The audiences who have seen this production so far have been very engaged in the story. Some of the cast share their thoughts on what makes Murder By Membership Only unique when there are so many mystery plays out there.

Kathy (Mrs. Plimpton): This one has a lot of twists and turns, and one doesn’t really know who the murderer is until the conclusion, so I think it surprises viewers.

Angela (Madame LaCoq): This play has several “Easter eggs” for mystery aficionados. For instance, my character, Madame LeCoq is named after a famous fictional French detective, Monsieur Lecoq, who was a forerunner of Sherlock Holmes.

BWW: Not only is the mystery itself delightfully complex, but the characters in this all-female play are wonderfully written—each with their own quirks, motives, and secrets.

Martha (Octavia Sturges): I enjoy playing a thoroughly hateful snob, providing each of the other characters a truly heartfelt reason to want to see me dead. It leaves the audience really wondering who could be the murderer.

Anne (Clarice Fergusson): I love that my character has a dry and sarcastic sense of humor—that really makes her fun to play.

Stephanie (Hester Tandy): She’s underestimated and uses that to her advantage.

BWW: Kristen, given the complexity of this mystery and its characters, talk to us a little about your approach to directing this mystery.

Kristen (Director): My approach to directing this story was to make it seem plausible that any one of the characters could be the murderer right up until the very end. We discussed the different places where we could mislead the audience into suspecting everyone at different points in the play. I don't like a mystery that can be solved too early, so I wanted to keep audiences guessing.

BWW: And the cast seems to have pulled this off brilliantly. Throughout the first two weekends of their run, the cast has heard many different theories as to who the audience thought the killer was until the reveal at the end.

Kristen (Director): I know that most of them suspect the outsiders more than anyone else. This goes against the grain for me, because I would have suspected the character who is literally closest to the first murder victim.  

Kathy (Mrs. Plimpton): I think the audience will think the murderer is Clarice because she is so nervous and not forthcoming with information.

Stephanie (Hester Tandy): Miss Cobbs, because she is so obviously out of place.

Martha (Octavia Sturges): Perhaps the soft-spoken Madame, or the long-suffering assistant?  Or maybe that negative Clarice, or the abused cook?

Anne (Clarice Fergusson): I think the audience will believe that Mrs. Plimpton or even Miss Beaton have strong motives for murder.

Tara (Mrs. Balser): Clarice!

Angela (Madame LaCoq): We all have a solid motive. I can’t say who the audience will suspect most, but I feel pretty sure that my character is not a suspect at all.

Jessica (May Cobbs): I think the audience will be kept on their toes during the show. There are several characters which appear hostile and suspicious at various points throughout the show.  Is the killer one of the suspicious trio (Mrs. Ferguson, Mrs. Plimpton, Miss Cobbs), or someone else who appears less sinister?

BWW: I love how most of you are sure the audience won’t suspect your character! That’s what makes this mystery so much fun, along with the witty dialogue. 

Martha (Octavia Sturges): The show is breezy and witty with plenty of chuckles and laughs; it also provides a fun guessing game, culminating with the excitement of the final reveal.

Kathy (Mrs. Plimpton): It offers a “who done it” along with comedic overtones.

Tara (Mrs. Balser): Honestly, there's something in it for everyone—drama, mystery, laughter—you get wrapped up in trying to figure out who could be behind the murder.

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