CLAREMONT — Reserve your tickets today for the sixth annual Murder Mystery Dinner Theater “A Family Reunion to Die For” on Nov. 9 and 10 performed by the New England Classical Academy Drama Club and with dinner prepared by radio talk show host and epicurean chef Keith Hanson of WNTK. A fantastic evening of hilarious comedy and fine dining at the Claremont Country Club is in store, and if you’ve never seen a NECA production before, you’re in for a treat.
This year, the production will be held at the Claremont Country Club. NECA’s benefit dinner event is eagerly anticipated every year, and this fall, it’s all about family drama. “A Family Reunion to Die For” centers around the Knotting family, and newlywed Christine Franklin (Jessica Cota) is eager to show off her husband Freddie (Anthony Abella) to the family she hasn’t seen in years. The joyful reunion quickly turns sour when not one, but several relatives are mysteriously murdered. To make matters worse, a terrible storm has trapped all of the guests inside (of course!) It’s up to Freddie to catch the murderer and save his blushing bride. After all, he is a detective — well, a mall security guard turned wannabe detective, anyway. Who is trying to wipe out the Knotting family? Aunt Gretchen (Marguerite Cottrill) who runs the bed and breakfast seems like a harmless elderly aunt. Cousin Rachel (Emily King) and her husband Robert (Joseph Cota) are wrapped up in their scientific studies as anthropologists. Cousin Stefan (Zack Fagan) and his wife Suzanne (Corinne Lindberg) act dead on stage but aren’t a threat … are they? Is it the squirrel-hunting hillbilly Matthews sisters, Carla Jo (Lanie Goodwin) and Rhonda Mae (Madison Barney) with their rifles? Or could it be the former Vegas showgirl Lola (Alyssa Meyer) with a knack for knitting? The maid Connie (Ella Cottrill) with a single digit IQ? The grouchy cook Beatrice (Sofia Bianconi)? The bitter journalist Joel March (Hudson Buckley)? The troupe of mimes (Sam Dalke, Athena Steele, Janessa Walk, Ryan Mozaffari and Ava Meyer) and their manager Neil Camp (Carter Buckley) are a strange addition to this mayhem too….what is it they AREN’T saying? And who IS that strange masked man (Colt Meyer)? The dead return to help the audience teach Freddie what it takes to be a real detective. As always, the audience will cast their votes on who they think they killer is!
If the play sounds fabulously funny, the dinner menu is equally fantastic. A long supporter of NECA, Keith Hanson has created a delicious menu. Dinner guests can choose an entree of roasted statler chicken with rosemary sauce and pea shoots or pan seared Atlantic salmon with smoked tomato basil sauce. Both are served with a salad of mesclun greens, dinner rolls and sides of sherry herb-roasted fingerling potatoes and pan roasted broccoli. Dessert includes coffee and vanilla bean cheesecake mousse in a ginger tart shell with macerated berries. The dinner ticket also includes a complimentary glass of wine, beer or a soft drink and additional drinks are available at the cash bar.
Tickets and reservations are required in advance. To reserve your tickets, call (603) 543-3400 or [email protected]. All proceeds benefit New England Classical Academy. For more information, visitlink or their Facebook page.
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