Angela Lansbury Hosts 'Mystery Series Live - On The Air'

NEW ORIGINAL MYSTERY SERIES LIVE - ON THE AIR HOSTED BY Angela Lansbury. 

The thrill of listening to NEW suspenseful stories returns to Americanairwaves this summer as National Public Radio affiliate WNIN (Evansville, IN) brings great mysteries to the radio.  WNIN, in conjunction with the International Mystery Writers' Festival in Owensboro, KY, will broadcast 9 premier recordings of newly discovered thrillers and detective dramas beginning Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.  

Star of "Murder She Wrote" and the current Broadway hit "Blithe Spirit" Angela Lansbury will introduce the NPR broadcasts.   The great mystery series will include a special live broadcast on Saturday, August 15^th of 4 American premiere Agatha Christie stage classics performed in front of live audience members during the 2009 International Mystery Writers' Festival in Owensboro, KY.

The first four weeks of public radio broadcast are recordings from the live 2008 International Mystery Writers' Festival performances and include works of Mary Higgins Clark, Ray Bradbury, P.J. Woodside, Sam Brobrick, and the Angie Award-winning performance of "Hallie Bowers", written by Harris Mack and Laura Campbell (see descriptions below).  These mysteries were recorded during the audience packed portion of the festival known as Live Radio Theatre under direction from the award-winning talents Judith Walcutt and David Ossman of Firesign Theatre. 

Each one-hour Saturday evening broadcast airs the highly coveted 7PM time slot immediately following Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" program.   The Live Radio Theatre mysteries reflect the next theatrical step in the genre of classic radio storytelling for which Keillor is exceptionally known. 

"We are delighted NPR'S WNIN values bringing newly discovered mystery performances to radio audiences," says mystery festival producer Zev Buffman, currently represented on Broadway as a co-producer of Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit. Buffman produced more than 40 shows on Broadway - twenty-six of which received Tony nominations.  "The Live Radio Theatre performances have been such a remarkable hit among our festival audience that we are thrilled we can share the newly discovered mysteries over public radio's airwaves beginning this summer". 

David Dial, President of WNIN said, "National Public Radio has a long history of presenting radio drama. WNIN is very pleased to join with the RiverPark Center to bring fresh exciting radio drama to a new generation of public radio listeners."

The weekly Live Radio Theatre recordings are:

 

July 18 - It Burns Me Up

By Ray Bradbury

A murdered man lies on the floor and his stunned wife sits nearby.  A police detective and the coroner discuss the victim while other police do their jobs.  Reporters and neighbors crowd in at the door... but, the dead man on the floor tells the story before the ambulance arrives. Bradbury is the legend with more than 500 published works.

My Gal Sunday by Mary Higgins Clark

Adapted from Mary Higgins Clark's best seller Crime of Passion

A delightful detective couple, the rich and handsome ex-president of the United States and his wife, an attractive Congresswoman, investigate the affair of a former Secretary of State and his murdered mistress. Mary Higgins Clark latest, thriller "Take My Heart" is currently on The Best Seller List 

July 25 - Hallie Bowers

By Harris Mack & Laura Campbell

War-time Christmas of 1941 leads a seasoned female private investigator and her younger brother from a nightclub dance floor to the tracks at L.A.'s Union Station when they take on a missing-girlfriend case from a handsome Navy Lieutenant.   

Aug 1 - The Cajun P.I. 

By P.J. Woodside (of Madisonville, KY)

Former cop and now struggling Private Investigator John LeGrand is a junior college criminology instructor who begins a dangerous search for one of his own students who ends up missing during a class assignment.  Some good-ol-boys - and not-so-good-ol-boys - and some attractive, but slightly dangerous, women round out the characters of this betrayal in the Bayou.  

August 8 - Flemming:  An American Thriller

By Sam Bobrick

A farce full of twists and turns that may leave you laughing as well as longing for a good drink.  An unassuming middle-aged man decides to become a private detective in the midst of a mid-life crisis - but the life crisis is only beginning.  Bobrick's play is full of witty dialogue that fades in-and-out-of murders, madness, and many, many mixed drinks.  

August 15 - Live Broadcast:  American Premieres of FOUR "NEW" Thrillers

By Dame Agatha Christie  

 "Three Blind Mice" was part of a May 30, 1947 program in honor of the eightieth birthday of Queen Mary. The BBC approached the Queen some months prior and asked for her special favorites. Amongst a selection of music and variety, she requested a new mystery by Agatha Christie, a writer the Queen deeply admired. The world's longest running play "The Mousetrap" was inspired by "Three Blind Mice".  

"Butter in a Lordly Dish" was first performed on the BBC on Tuesday, January 13, 1948 in a strand entitled Mystery Playhouse presents, "The Detection Club." The play title comes from the Bible: Judges, 5:25: "He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish". "He" refers to Sisera and "she" is Jael. (This work was never published before). 

"Yellow Iris" was first presented on the BBC National Program in 1937. The main part of the story takes place in a London restaurant.  The play is unusual in that the producer interspersed the action with the performances of the cabaret artists who were supposedly on the stage at the restaurant during the murder. It features the famous Belgian Inspector Hercule Poirot, one of Christie's audiences' favorite detectives. 

"Personal Call", the last thriller, was presented on the BBC Light Program on Monday, May 31, 1954. The play reuses the legendary character of Inspector Narracott from the 1931 novel "The Sittaford Mystery." (This work was never published before). 

The 2009 International Mystery Writers' Festival takes place in Owensboro's beautiful RiverPark Center August 12 - 16. It will premiere the four Agatha Christie classic thrillers listed above, which WNIN will include in the summer mystery radio series in the form of LIVE recordings direct from the festival. Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie's grandson, says "I'm delighted that Zev's team is putting on my grandmother's wonderful BBC plays which number among some of her best works. I'm sure that the USA live audience will enjoy them enormously." 

Other events surrounding the festival include: classic outdoor movies series, celebrity master classes, writing workshops, guest speakers, meet and greets, book signings and the Sunday, August 16 Angie Awards - named after Angela Lansbury.  

For more information, visit www.newmysteries.org.

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