Shadow of Murder
by Elizabeth Elwood

Murder Mystery in Two Acts
4 men/7 women/3 cameo roles

Intelligent dialogue … all the necessary twists and turns for a good murder mystery plot. – Canadian Playwriting Contest critique
If you are really fast, you can catch a great evening of mystery/comedy, by enjoying Shadow of Murder ……Be prepared for some unexpected murders, amid entertaining cross-talk among the cast, and a surprise ending you are challenged to guess. –
Annie Boulanger, Burnaby Now

The Morton family suffered a tragedy when their daughter was the victim of a serial killer. Two decades later members of the family gather at the Marshlands Hunting Lodge, where unbeknown to them, two people are present who are connected to the earlier crime. A storm causes landslides that render the access road impassable, and before long, another murder takes place.

The large number of characters make this script highly workable for community groups, and the cameo roles and smaller parts are ideal for crew members who wish to have a moment on stage. However, two of the cameo roles could be eliminated if necessary, and some of the other parts could be doubled, so the play can also be used as an acting challenge for a smaller troupe of actors.

Shadow of Murderwas first produced by The Vagabond Players and premiered on June 2, 2011 at The Bernie Legge Theatre in New Westminster.  The cast featured Mary Adams as Carol Morton; Dwayne Campbell as John Graves; Donna Thompson as Celia Morton; Pat McDermott as Bob Reid, Isabel Mendenhall as Charlene Cook, Richard Pare as James Burgess; Chris O’Connor as Enrico Martelli; Gina Raye Young as Jennifer Morton; Rob Larsen as Ronald Morton; Margot Prentice as Mrs. Marks; Nancy von Euw as Margaret Crane; Jennifer Kennedy as Terry Blake; Cheryl Stephenson as Ginnie Jacobs and Diana Botea as Constable Renard.   The show was a great success at the box office, with several sold-out performances, and it also received an excellent review: http://www.royalcityrecord.com/entertainment/Murder+mystery+closes+this+weekend+Westminster/4987860/story.html

Chris O'Connor and Isabel Mendenhall
Chris O’Connor and
Isabel Mendenhall

Photo courtesy of Doug Goodwin
Pat McDermott and Mary Adams
Pat McDermott and
Mary Adams

Photos courtesy of Doug Goodwin
MARSHLANDS HUNTING LODGE
Marshlands Hunting Lodge
Photo courtesy of Dwayne Campbell