Candy-Coated Murder has been nothing but fun!

Just wanted to add a little note about how fantastic our run of DEATH BY CUPCAKE has been going.  They performed for the 7th time last night - 8th time if you count the dress rehearsal - and every show has been just fantastic.  We had one little "glitch" at one of our regular restaurants, but I think we worked out the problems we had that night and hopefully everyone learned something from it.  At any rate, just wanted to give some kudos' to my CUPCAKE cast - Cynthia Bergquist, Joe Chase and Jessika Kelsh, returning for the 9th year playing Hart Braker, Drew Blood, and Candy Valentine; Heidi Best-Swift coming in as Shakira Sharp (after playing Bubble Braker in last year's DEATH BY CANDYGRAM), and newcomers Matt Williams and Mark Clutter, as Bobby Fillet and Hugh Jeego.  Fantastic work by everyone - thanks folks!

Do the math!

We get about 1 person a year who hates us.  Thinks we suck.  There were a couple of years where we didn't get any "you suck" comments, but we've been in business for 13 years, so I'll go with 13 people who hate us.  So when you do the math, having performed for close to 23,000 people, that means 0.00056 percent of the population who have seen us perform think we are horrid.  Not too bad a percentage, really.

Why do they hate us?  We are too "amateur," "can't hear us," "dancing looked bad," "dumb story," "too much fighting," "over-priced," and my favorite, "didn't like it that someone died."

The fighting? Well, that kind of has to happen to establish a motive.  Can't hear - we've vastly improved on that one over the years, as we have the dancing (thanks to my incredibly talented daughter, our official choreographer).  The criticism about the writing? A person's taste in writing is pretty subjective, so if they don't like it, I can't help it.  Amateur?  Yeah, no.  Although one person who called my actors "hokey" was right - they were performing as a bunch of rednecks who were supposed to be hokey. Over-priced?  Have you checked out the price to go to the movies and get a large coke and a big bucket of popcorn?  This seems like a better deal, given you're getting a 3-course meal and a 3 hour show for that price.  And "didn't like it that someone died?"  LOL!  It's a MURDER MYSTERY!

I remember the first time I got a bad comment back.  It killed me.  I put my heart and soul into Act4Murder and for someone to so flippantly tell me my work sucks really hurt.  But after 13 years, and 13 people who hate us, I'm doing a little better at letting it roll off my back. I mean, honestly?  You can't please everyone.  And given that 0.00056 percentage, I'd say I'm pleasing MOST everyone, and that's not a bad thing!
 ~~ Paula

How does he manage?!

Since 2008, I haven't had to manage a show alone.  My wonderful boyfriend, Chris Manson, took over that job, leaving me more time to write new shows and work on advertising.  But a few months ago when our February shows started booking, we realized we were going to need to be able to double-book on a couple of nights in order to accommodate both public shows and private events on and around Valentine's Day.  So last night was my first foray back into the world of stage managing.

I honestly don't know how he does it.  As much as I love this business - the shows, the actors, the restaurants, the guests… it's a tough gig to manage a show.  I had to deal with comments and complaints about the music being too loud and not loud enough, the room being too cold and too hot, guests asking me for refills on drinks, to turn on the fans and turn off the fans, and "where's my sour cream," "could you bring more more ranch dressing," and, "Help, I spilled my water… ," well, you get the drift.  I did my best to keep up and make everyone comfortable, but by the end of the night I was exhausted.

Here's the thing - Chris doesn't just MANAGE the shows, he's also in them.  All I was doing was managing, and I forgot about handing out the "After Scene One" handout until 30 seconds before Scene Two was about to start, ALMOST forgot to do the door prize drawing at the end of the show, and COMPLETELY forgot to hand out comment cards.  He never forgets anything.

Despite MY inadequacies, the cast was amazing and it was successful premier of my newest show, DEATH BY CUPCAKE.  Thanks so much to the Coach-N-Four in Crestview - what a great, hard-working staff they have there!  And once we got the music and room temperature set where everyone was pleased, and all that ranch dressing and sour cream out, everyone had a great time.

I get to do it again in a week when we have two shows on Valentine's Day.  Maybe I'll do a better job of keeping my head on straight.  It's no mystery what I have to do - I need to pretend I'm Chris and do it without breaking a sweat.  ~~ Paula

Chopping at the bit for the Chop House!

Tonight would have been our FIRST performance at the Chop House in Navarre.  So if you have been to the Chop House and saw a murder mystery there, it was not Act4Murder performing that show.  If you DID see another show there, and you DO decide to give murder mystery another try at the Chop House, it will be Act4Murder performing.  And while you're there, tell Chris Manson "Chablis sent me!" and we'll buy you a drink.  And that's a promise!  :)  ~ Paula

CONDO KILLED it this weekend!

Just finished performing A CONDO TO KILL FOR on Friday and Saturday night.  This show reveals some deep, dark secrets of timeshare ownership and the tricky art of timeshare, or "fractional ownership," presentations.  We actually had a couple walk out one time thinking this was really a timeshare presentation.  How amazing is that?!  This cast is stellar - they've been working together in this show, with no replacement actors, since 2012, so it's tight, runs flawlessly and is hysterical.  We'll be bringing this back to the Crab Island Cantina next summer, so watch for it in 2015!  ~~ Paula

Got motive?

If you follow Act4Murder and know anything at all about us, you know that I am the author of all 28 of these comedic murder mysteries.  So here's something to think about:  If I wrote a murder mystery where the killer was just some crazy psychopath who had no real motive other than the desire to satisfy his own bloodthirstiness, would that be appropriate for comedic dinner theater?  I contend it would not be appropriate, and that it would make the majority of you uncomfortable.  So for those few who wonder why the characters argue with one another throughout the night, I'd like to point out that if I don't give them motives, it makes no sense that someone would end up dead.  And since these are MURDER mysteries, someone is actually going to end up dead.  Just something to think about.

~~ Paula Hilton

My 15-seconds of FAME!

I just received an email from a world-famous actor-turned-motivational-speaker asking to read one of my scripts for a play he wants to produce in Ohio.  I have to say I'm pretty flattered.  I hope he likes the play. I'm very nervous waiting to hear back from him.  I'm all tongue-tied and star-struck.  And inspired.  This could be another comedy in the making, but of course, it would end in MURDER….  ~~ Paula