Arts & Entertainment

Eagan Theater Company's Newest Production Combines Laughs, Mystery

The quirky 'whodunnit' murder mystery debuts at the Eagan Community Center on March 16.

The sleazy senator and his lobbyist, an Australian crocodile farmer, the gold-digging ex-wife or the casino owner with "Humphrey Bogart" syndrome.

Everyone's a suspect in the Eagan Theater Company's latest play, the comedic murder mystery "Dealt a Deadly Hand: Murder at the Pocono Royale Casino" The production—which includes a buffet dinner—debuts on Friday, March 16 at the . Tickets are $35 per person.

At the core of the show is a menagerie of quirky characters, many of whom are struggling to take over—or shut down—the imaginary Pocono Royale Casino. When two of the characters wind up dead, it's up to the cast and the audience to determine who committed the crime. While much of the humor revolves around the characters' absurd antics, the play is set in Eagan and takes satirical shots at Minnesota's current political scene. The play was written by Tony Schwartz and Marylou Ambrose.

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“It’s a really light comedy that just is just full of a lot of laughs," said Eagan  Theater Company Managing Director Kay Brown. "I’ve done a lot of theater…it’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen for a long time."

The company is a relatively recent addition to Eagan's arts community. The group was founded by the energetic Brown last year. After gearing up to perform an old-time radio show last May, the company turned its efforts toward securing nonprofit status, Brown said. At the moment, the company is sponsored by the Eagan Foundation and is volunteer-run.

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A total of 20 people are involved in the production of "Dealt a Deadly Hand", Brown said, and many of them, like Judy Marder and Tami Sulistyo, are relative newcomers to the world of acting.

"I’ve never acted before, ever, except what you do in elementary school, but I am an avid reader of murder mysteries, and any time I get a chance I go to murder mystery shows," said Sulistyo. Together, Sulistyo and Marder play a pair of elderly ladies who are out to close down the casino.

“I’m a senior citizen, and I’m a little ditzy, I have a pure heart and a lot of innocence, but it’s not focused all the time, and I really like go-go dancers," said Marder, when asked to describe her character.

The mix of experiences levels is a welcome element of the production for professional actress Andrea Boe.

"I think the most fun thing about this production that I’ve noticed are the varying levels of people’s experience," Boe said. "It’s fun and refreshing beause you watch learn from one another."

Tickets for the dinner and show are $35 and will be on sale until March 12. To register for this event, call Eagan's Parks and Recreation Department at 651-675-5500 OR register in person at 3838 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan, MN 55122. Doors to the dinner and show open at 6 p.m. Any proceeds generated by the production will go to the Eagan Theater Company and Eagan 55 Plus Seniors.


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