NEWMAN – Murder and mystery - spiced with plenty of music and comedy, are on the menu when the curtain rises Friday on the West Side Players’ production of “Murder at Crooked House.”

The show runs weekends through Jan. 25 at the West Side Theater.

“The murder mystery musical comedy is highly entertaining and good family fare,” Director Farris Larsen described. “Everyone should come on down and see the show.”

The 90-minute, two-act musical is filled with crazy characters with silly accents who break into song as they converse. It’s a typical Tim Kelly script that gets the audience involved and provides a “good old time” experience.

“The cast has been working to make the characters even more outrageous and having a blast putting it all together,” Larsen noted.

The theatre group is comprised of local talent, growing through the years in numbers and abilities, according to Larsen. Many in the cast will be familiar faces to the audiences, while a few will be making their debut on the local stage. As a matter of fact, a new talent is playing one of the leads, Larsen pointed out. Newman resident Bill St. Clair will be taking the stage for the first time since junior high, playing the role of Detective Hercules Porridge.

 Spooky suspenseful - but mostly funny - the play is a spoof of TV’s “Private Eye” shows of the ‘50s. It is the story of “Crooked House,” a seedy hotel where the guests pay outrageous rent for shoddy service. Actually, what they are paying is…blackmail.

Arriving on the scene is the famous Hoboken detective Porridge. He is inept but very funny.

A corpse is discovered in the sitting room and a beautiful secretary is done in by deadly orchid juice. The guest list includes a mystery writer, Anguish Crispie, an eccentric young man who dresses like a jungle explorer and a strange actress who always dresses in black. Colonel Chutney, a crazy neighbor, thinks the year is 1880 and he’s in India. Jeeves, the butler, has a wandering mind.

The colorful cast delivers a delightful evening of entertainment which promises to leave audience members laughing.

The cast of 17 includes Melanie Braun, Jeff Vandervort, Mary Escobar, Becky Nunes, Marrisa Juarez, John Vandervort, Maggie Braun, Adolpho Esquivez, Bill St. Clair, Rick Lunsford, Bianca Pardo, Chris Cross, Tiffany Gomes, Joe Moitozo Jr., Vanessa Juarez, Shihio Newell and Mary Bonta. Dave Larsen, Troy Basim and Mikayla Tosta are the sound, lighting and spot light crew.

The play is produced by the West Side Theatre Foundation. It opens Friday, Jan. 9, and runs for three weekends. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Doors open 30 minutes prior to show time. Refreshments are available for purchase.

Tickets are $12 for general admission or $15 for reserved seating and are available online at www.westsidetheatre.org , by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling the theatre at 862-4490.