Thursday, February 27, 2014

So Sad to See You Go!

Act4Murder has been performing for 11 years now - our first show was March 13, 2003, a fundraiser for Horizons of Okaloosa County.  And while Horizons is still here and doing bigger and better things all the time, the venue we performed at, the Summerhouse, is not.  Nor is Scott's in Bonifay, Christopher's Uncorked in Crestview, Brennan's Royal Bee in Destin, Judy's Garden Cafe in Fort Walton Beach, Nickie's in Uptown Station, Fajita's Grill in Miramar Beach, Bayou Blues in Niceville, Los Ponchos on Okaloosa Island, and I could go on and on.  I guess the point is being in the restaurant business is really a tough business.  We've been lucky because we keep finding places to perform, and currently our list of venues is pretty strong.  But tonight, we found out one of our favorites, the Angus Steakhouse in Pensacola, is closing its doors after 40 years.

The Angus has been one of our favorite venues for about three years.  Delicious food, fantastic staff, perfect performance area, and you couldn't ask for a better green room.  And it's a fun "road trip" buzzing over to Pensacola for the show.  It was shocking to find out tonight was our last show - I think poor RED LEG the DREADED had a very difficult time concentrating, but they somehow got through it and said goodbye to our fans over there.

We're keeping our eyes open for a new venue, but just wanted to be sure to say to the folks at the Angus - thank you for all you did for us, and we are very sorry to see you go!  Best of luck!  ~~ Paula

Saturday, February 22, 2014

A Dandy Candy Birthday!

Today is our own Jessika Kelsh's birthday!  The lovely and talented Jessika has played Candy Gram since 2007 for Act4Murder in two shows - DEATH BY VALENTINE and DEATH BY CANDYGRAM.  SPOILER ALERT: Next year I'm planning a new one - ROMANCING THE SCONE - where Candy puts her money to good use by purchasing a restaurant specializing in baked delicacies.  And Candy is excited to not only have her own restaurant, but FINALLY her own boyfriend, Hugh Jeego.  Oh, Hugh's a looker alright, but he knows it and I'm guessing Candy's Mom, Hart Braker, Aunt Bubble Braker, and Dad Rock Bottom aren't too excited about this gold-digging attention-seeking rabble-rouser.  And if Hugh takes one more hit out of Drew's flask, poor Hugh may be in deeper trouble than even HE could drum up on his own.

Only 11 months until the premier!  :)

Happy Birthday Sweet Dandy Candy!  Act4Murder LOVES you!  ~~ Paula, proud Mom





Meet RED LEG THE DREADED, pirate extraordinaire!

It's a beautiful day in Act4Murder-land!  We are getting ready for several exciting events - this week we have a show in Pensacola at one of our favorite restaurants, the Angus Steakhouse, on Thursday night.  The food is delicious there, it's a nice big room to work in, the green room is comfortable and accommodating, and most importantly, this staff knows how to rock it! Never a hitch at the Angus.  If you're in the Pensacola area, you should definitely give them a call.

Then on Friday night we'll be at the Foxwood Country Club in Crestview putting on a fundraiser for the Duke it Out team for Relay for Life.  I survived a miserable bout of cancer back in 2006 - a rare form called Leiomyosarcoma - and my Mom went through breast cancer last year - our personal experiences make this an even more important fundraiser for us.  For both we'll be performing THE MYSTERY OF RED LEG THE DREADED, PIRATE OF THE GULF.  It's the show with the longest title (out of the 28 I've written to date), and may be the funniest.  Hope you can make one of these two events.  Visit our website for the phone numbers and prices etc. or send me an email at act4murder@act4murder.com.

The next event we're planning is a fundraiser for Horizons of Okaloosa County, where we'll be premiering my newest show, KILLER IN THE KITCHEN.  More on that later - hard to imagine this pile in the hallway will become stellar props for the show!!  ~~ Paula

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Act4Murder - Restaurant Professionals!

I am not one of those people who gloss over what went wrong. And what COULD have gone wrong at Beal Street in FWB was colossal. We showed up to set up our relatively easy show for 84 folks to find the restaurant in complete disarray. The 15 6-tops promised were nowhere to be found. There were standard booths and 4-tops, a couple of 6-tops, and 4 banquet style tables with no chairs. I'm looking around thinking... hmmm. I may have to re-figure my table configuration, but not alarmed at that point. Then the phone rang, and we were informed the owners would NOT be at the show, one of them had to be taken to the emergency room for "exhaustion," and we were on our own. We discussed canceling, but realized that would mean 84 folks expecting a great Valentine's Day night out would be disappointed. So... we decided to press. I started counting chairs and tables, and realized we were very short. Then came another phone call - we'd need to send someone to the hospital to pick up the silverware etc. needed for the show from the owner's car. Oh, and we didn't know what people had ordered. And we didn't know who had purchased in advance. And... At that point.. I LOST it. A bit of hysteria along with a face full of hives (I couldn't see out of my right eye for most of the night because the hive there was so large), but decided the best thing to do would be to call my sister who is nothing but logical and sensible. I got lucky. She was with my niece who is my sister times two. They both headed over, and ALL my actors got there as soon as they could to clean and set up tables (two of them brought more tables and chairs from their own homes), reconfigure seatings, and as the night went on, to PLATE and SERVE ALL THREE COURSES. My niece had to go to K-Mart and buy plasticware, as the restaurant didn't have near enough.  At one point my daughter Jessika, who is IN the show, was bar tending because they didn't have adequate coverage. And man, when she got behind the bar she made it her OWN!  Everyone stepped up and brought their own special skills into the mix. It was incredible.

You know what I learned tonight?! Act4Murder is absolutely amazing. In every way possible. We ROCK!!!!!!!!!

By the way, not only can we run a restaurant, but our show was flawless.  Comments back from the guests included, "Stepped up in a very difficult situation - put the show on despite the challenges!" "Awesome show! So glad we came!", "Love, love, loved!" and my personal favorite, "Thanks for going through with the show even though ALL the responsibilities fell on ya'll. Great way to celebrate the day and our anniversary." And that's one reason I'm so happy we pressed!  ~ Paula Hilton, Proud Founder of Act4Murder

Monday, February 10, 2014

Sunday night Who Dunnit

The cast of DEATH BY CANDYGRAM did it again last night at the French Quarter Grill in Niceville.  It was a smaller show than we planned for, but a great show none-the-less.  Gerald T. said "It was terrific.  We will definitely come to the next one!" Terry W. had this to say, "Entertaining funny Who Dunnit."  KR said "Loved it," and Michelle D. proclaimed "Awesome!  Great show!" Glad we made an impression!  Wondering though - is it a show on Sunday night that keeps people away?  Because if you've ever eaten at the French Quarter Grill, you know the food there is amazing and the price tag of $45 for a 3-course meal (which includes Mike Swett's world-famous chocolate chip bread pudding), show, tax and tip is worth it.  What are your thoughts about Sunday night performances?  ~~ Paula

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Nailed it!

They nailed it in Destin tonight.  The cast of DEATH BY CANDYGRAM had this to say about the show:  "It was the best audience you can imagine.  And the best way to start out our run of four shows.  Just a fantastic night!"  "Everyone had a blast - the snowbirds AND the young folks that were there."  "That thing about Drew?  Yeah.  Everytime he opened his mouth they howled.  So no, they did NOT find him appalling."

Great job cast!  Couldn't be prouder of you. Now on to the French Quarter Grill tomorrow - fantastic venue, hope the show goes just as well!  ~~ Paula

Woo-Hoo it's DREW!

It's tough working when you don't feel 100%, but the show must go on!  I have a cold, but am getting everything together for tonight's show at the American Legion in Destin. Last year's show was successful with a fairly full house, but this year we are SOLD OUT -  can't wait to hear that room full of Snowbirds and their guests laughing it up.  Will they appreciate Drew Blood?  Chris says they'll either love him or be completely appalled.  Can't wait to see which way they go!  ~~ Paula

Friday, February 7, 2014

Candy Dandy

Had a really fun rehearsal tonight for DEATH BY CANDYGRAM.  This cast is a little crazy.  You wouldn't guess that from looking at us.  "Candy" wasn't there, but the rest of us oldies had a pretty good time cutting up.  Don't get me wrong - we get the work done, but we do it laughing!  We started the evening with dinner at the Sons of Italy in Fort Walton Beach - they really know how to put out a delicious baked spaghetti!  I highly recommend you spend a Friday night there sometime, as they put on a delicious dinner every Friday night.  Then rehearsal... found out tomorrow night's show at the American Legion is sold out, and hoping the others will follow suit. Check our schedule at www.act4murder.com/calendar to see where we'll be and when we'll be there. It was a great day - not just a fantastic dinner and productive rehearsal, we also had an article published here at www.850me.com about Act4Murder.  Other than changing the gender of our director (me), it's a great article.  You should check that out too! ~~ Paula


Monday, February 3, 2014

A Really Big Shoe Tonight

Tonight Act4Murder is performing for hundreds of law enforcement types in Walton County. Think maybe I should sneak my song in? - Chris

Sunday, February 2, 2014

A (Murderous) Valentine Gift for You

January was our best month since I can remember, with great shows in Fort Walton Beach, Shalimar and Pensacola plus our annual awards celebration in Santa Rosa Beach. Meanwhile, February is off to a great start with a huge, HUGE production of MURDER ON THE REBOUND for 500 or so folks with a sheriff's organization (wonder if they want me to sing my hit single "Spring Break in the Walton County Jail"?). Next weekend, we're bringing back our Valentine's show DEATH BY CANDYGRAM in which I play Rock Steady, father to the young heiress Candy Valentine (Jessika Kelsh). The cast also includes Joe Chase, Cynthia Bergquist and Ken Olson. Heidi Best-Swift is joining the cast this go-round as Bubble Braker. Performances are Saturday night, Feb. 8, at the American Legion in Destin (best bar in town), and Sunday, Feb. 9, at our favorite Niceville restaurant, the French Quarter Grill. More info here - www.act4murder.com/calendar. See you soon, Murder fans! Chris