Forget murder, the journey even to this place was adventure enough.
Sandia Park seems a blind distance further into the East Mountains than it actually is. You feel isolated where anything desert related disappears and is replaced by an abundance of signs for yoga classes and a man-sized basket or two. It was worrisome — was there a musical to see about murder, or was I going to be murdered? If so, was someone going to sing a about it?
It’s a wonder why many people don’t like musicals at all. Maybe there’s something “lame” about show tunes, with all the cheeriness and family values. Or is it the absolute lack of reality that comes from people bursting into song in moments of conflict or personal realization.
To be fair, there are all sorts of musicals— from Broadway furry gatherings like “Cats” to deliciously black comedies like “Assassins,” a musical stringing together historical assassins of American History, or “Batboy: the Musical,” which is pretty much what it sounds like.
Musicals take some serious skill, and anyone that appreciates any kind of music understands the special kind of emotion and expression that only a lyric can achieve.
Now the grand tradition is continued by “The Dress Shop Murders of 1933,” a 100 percent local creation of murder mystery dinner theater and brainchild of Richard Atkins.
A resident of the East Mountains, Atkins is the talent, core, heart and soul of this piece. He acts as playwright, director, composer, narrator and main source of musical accompaniment on his piano. It is frankly phenomenal.
His music is catchy and cool, the piano sizzling quick. The words, in song and otherwise, are especially clever and side splittingly funny at times. And what is best is the newness of the whole thing— you feel privileged and lucky to be among the first to see it, like the show has been made just for you.
The story is told in three acts: with act one ending in a cliff hanger, after which dinner is served. Act two ends with a murder, and during the dessert intermission, you are asked to sleuth out who the murderer(s) might be and turn it in on a ballot.
The setting is perfect. What’s not to like about 1930s New York City? You got the sleaze of prohibition gangsters, hot jazz, smooth noir style, vogue dames. That kind of class never gets old.
The space itself might throw you—the Easter Mountain Centre for Theatre is a community center with the audience sitting in a cafeteria of sorts. It’s an exceptional set, though. The dress shop of the title is just the front for (what else?) a speakeasy, with a secret entrance through the back of amour. The set is bright and pops with a remarkable amount of color and character.
The sound unfortunately is not always what it should be. Microphones hang liberally about the stage from ceiling, though total coverage is simply not a reality. Atkins’ piano does what it has to, and when a trumpet is brought in for a song early in the first act, it’s attempt to muffle sound is more jarring and out of place than anything, like the one guy at a party drunker than anyone else who bangs on a pot, crying out to be noticed.
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It is still totally worth it. Live music in a performance is always, always better.
At the same level of creative detail are the costumes— all period, interesting and detailed, with plenty of fedoras and suits and pretty dresses to go around.
The acting is a little spotty at times, with everyone trying out accents and some end up pretty ridiculous. Joel Miller’s Mexican accent is truly terrible, but you’ll love every minute of it. He even gets the most entertaining song in the show. Here, however, the trumpet has the chance to blast majestically and unexpectedly, uninhibited by the job of quiet accompaniment, and sounds great.
Cheryl Atkins gives a noteworthy performance at Ruby Winston. She nails her accent with ease and her sole song about man-slaying is grand fun.
The whole production has this weird hole-in-the-wall feeling. The space is quaint and unassuming, and it’s frankly shocking and a wonderful surprise to find such a fine performance with so many truly impressive aspects.
If you convince yourself to make the journey, you will not be disappointed. And just remind yourself that they really do exist.
BOX:
The Dress Shop Murders of 1933 (A Musical Murder-Mystery Dinner Theatre)
Vista Grande Community Center
15 La Madera Road, Sandia Park, NM
Friday, Saturday
7 p.m.
General $30, Students $25
286-1950
