Murder Me Always: Play Dead Murder Mystery Plays, #2

By Lee Mueller

During an awful amateur performance of the play "Murder Me Always", an actual murder takes place off stage. The Director is shot. The "fake" murder mystery play comes to a screeching halt and a "real" murder mystery begins.

It seems that the "Murder Mystery Murderer" is on the loose and has struck again. Fortunately, Detective Joe Mamet, a Raymond Chandler Pulp type gumshoe had the production on a stakeout and he rises to the occasion to begin an investigation into this real mystery.  Could it be that one of these very bad actors is really a very bad person?

Will this "real" murder mystery be any better than the fake one? Is art imitating life? Is the play really the thing? Is this the original play that went wrong?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lee Mueller
• Release date: Jul 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393175582

Lee Mueller

Lee Mueller was born in St. Louis, Missouri. For over thirty years he has been involved in the performing arts, from acting, directing, improv/sketch comedy, and most notably as a playwright. His first one-act play, "In Between Days" was produced during a national writers conference. His second one-act, "The Favor" was a finalist in a short play competition in St. Louis. He has specialized in comedy murder mystery plays that have been produced all over the world. His play "Death Of A Doornail" won "Best Original Comedy" at the 27th Annual "Arty Awards" in Fairfield California. "Murder Me Always" ran for a month at the Laugh Factory in New York. Lee also hosts a Podcast on creativity called "And So The Mind Reels" and has published a collection of short stories called "Idle Essence: Tales Of Marvin".

Book preview

Murder Me Always

MURDER ME ALWAYS

A murder mystery comedy play

LEE MUELLER

Playedwell Publishing

CONTENTS

Preface

Prologue

Characters

Setting Notes

Act I

Act II

Rules For Host

Production Notes

About the Author

Also by Lee Mueller

Afterword

Copyright © 1995 by Lee Mueller

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Caution: Professionals and amateurs are hereby advised that MURDER ME ALWAYS is subject to a royalty. It is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and of all countries covered by International

Dedicated to Laura Hercules who drafted me into acting in a murder mystery play and then accepted my bet that I could write one. Not sure who won - but this play was the result. Thank you to Affton Center Stage and Judy Rethwisch for taking a chance on someone who had only written comedy sketches, music reviews and a few one act plays. Also to the late Jim Farquar who was the ultimate Henry in our production. He was convinced that aspects of Henry were based upon him - only slightly true. Mostly true.

PREFACE

Murder Me Always by Lee Mueller, directed by Bob Baker, was presented by Judy Rethwisch and Affton CenterStage at the Oakland House in March and April of 1995 with the following cast:

Director - Lisa Ann Richards

Wanda Hawthorne - Patty Junge

Trixie - Laura C. Hercules

Fritz Fontaine - Eric Meyer

Henry Figgens - Bill Mounts

Drew Graham - Jason Headrick

Cab Driver/Host - Karen Diehl

Blake Powers - Martin Zahn

Muffy Ladue - Tracy Agne Murphy

Dolores Dumpfe - Layton Lane

Detective Joe Mamet - Jack Ables

PROLOGUE

"Murder Me Always was my first stab at a murder mystery play. I had written some sketches for a Comedy/Improv group and a few one act plays before trying my hand at Murder Mystery. I had been an actor in several Murder Mystery plays including The Mouse Trap" by Agatha Christie and had grown up reading The Hardy Boys mysteries, so it can be said I had a bit of background in the genre. Murder Me Always was mainly a tongue-in-cheek take on my years in community theatre and some of the murder mystery plays I had participated in.

CHARACTERS

Characters

Director - is the director of the fake* play

Wanda Hawthorne - the Femme Fatale character of the fake play

Fritz Fontaine- a pompous actor who must have his way.

Henry- older actor a bumbling forgetful type.

Trixie- the assistant director who is, in reality, a policewoman.

Muffy- a spoiled rich girl

Blake- the male version of Muffy in some aspects but a little more devious and shady.

Detective Joe Mamet-  a detective who has read too many 1940’s detective novels

Drew Graham- got into acting because he couldn’t find a rock band to let him join.

Dolores-  somewhat of the typical plain Jane -librarian type.

Cab Driver- typical cab driver.

*fake play meaning The play the actors are trying to Present

SETTING NOTES

Setting

Note on setting. You may construct a set if you wish. The original production was performed in a large estate and we used the natural setting to convey the setting of the murder mystery - since the idea is this is a bad production it would be appropriate if the set were just as poor. We did have a small couch, chair and side table for furniture. Feel free to design what you think will enhance your own production.

ACT I

Director enters stage followed by Wanda and Trixie

DIRECTOR:  (continuing from argument started off stage) ...I don't care! All these people are here and they've paid good money!

WANDA:  Most of the actors are here too! I'm ready!

TRIXIE:  But should we start without him?

DIRECTOR:  Look! This play must go on tonight! Do