‘A Murder is Announced’ on stage in Bigfork

The Bigfork Community Players bring the Agatha Christie mystery, “A Murder is Announced,” to the stage.  

Set in 1950s England, in the village of Chipping Cleghorn, the mystery begins when an advertisement appears in the local newspaper announcing the time and place of an upcoming murder. The residents of the Little Paddocks boarding house recognize that the place is their home and the time is tonight. Is it a joke? Or is someone going to be killed? Each person left wondering, “Is it someone else or is it me?”  

After things turn deadly, amateur detective, Miss Marple and by-the-book detective, Inspector Craddock, played by husband and wife Scott Plotkin and Patty Thiel, set out to investigate, reasoning their way through the twisted plot. 

“An Agatha Christie mystery reliably follows a convoluted trajectory, and to a detective given to linear thinking, the creative insight provided by a Miss Marple can be just the ticket,” Plotkin said. 

“I enjoy offering the creative prod that Scott — excuse me, that Inspector Craddock — occasionally needs to stay on track,” Thiel said. “I’m having a lot of fun with this play.” 

Assistant director Michele Mank plays Letitia Blacklock, the owner of the boarding house where the murder takes place. 

“As the landlady, I am in touch with virtually all the characters in this play and the detectives find me a rich source of information,” Mank said. “But, as the rules of evidence dictate, everything they learn has to be corroborated.” 

Director David Vale described the story as a “cozy mystery” for its happy ending and dash of comedy through the tangled efforts of the innocent in trying to look not guilty, as opposed to bumbling detectives or shoddy investigations. 

"Good timing is essential for a comedy. Fastidious attention to detail is the demand of mystery. For this play, featuring both humor and mystery, it’s good to have a cast with both talents,” Vale said. 

The play runs two weekends starting Friday, Oct. 17 at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, 526 Electric Ave., Bigfork. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. 

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and senior citizens and $5 for children under 12 years old. Tickets may be purchased online at BigforkCommunityPlayers.com, at Bigfork Drug, 8111 Montana 35, Suite 7 or at the door one hour before performances. 

The Bigfork Community Players are an amateur theater company based in Bigfork. 

    Jessica Martinz is Phillipa Haymes (or is she) in the Bigfork Community Players production of the Agatha Christie mystery, “A Murder is Announced." (Courtesy photo)