Play Title - The Plot Like Gravy Thickens

Playwright - Billy St. John

Theater Company - …Bethel??
Dates - April 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, and 28. I played Roy Phillips.
Genre - Dramedy, emphasis on Comedy.

I think one of, if not the most compelling moment in this show was the interview segment. It was
not only hilarious to sit through, but also I feel like it really grabbed the attention of the audience.
I feel like it really showed off the acting capabilities of the actors as well and let us really live in
our characters. It was extremely hard not to break and that scene had been one we had been
working on for quite some time. Fun fact, the night before opening night, we had the worst on
stage break I think I’ve ever seen. Everyone couldn’t contain themselves and just busted out
into laughter.

Symone Harms’ performance as Allegra Blackwell-Worthington in the show was just wonderful.
She played the jealous wife so well, and when it was revealed that she was the murder,
goosebumps every time from how she acted! She sold me as a murderer.
In act one, there’s a particular line she says to the maid, Edith that makes me giggle backstage
every time. Tony (Allegra’s brother) says to the maid “Edith, you look beautiful tonight” and
Allegra (Symone) just says “Must be the dress.” Gets me every time! In act two, like I said
before, when she confesses to the murder just sends shivers up my spine. The way she talks
about the murder weapon and stabbing her husband is beautiful. Her final “Good riddance!” to
the outline of her deceased husband is lovely.

I believe the theme of the show (or one of them) is that greed leads to many things. This shows
up in many of the suspects in the show. Allegra killed Edward to try to gain his fortune, which
eventually led her to prison. Peggy Sue tried marrying Edward to gain his fortune, which
eventually led her to job security. Roy attempted to transfer Edwards money, and while not
explicitly stated in the show, I believe Roy was after Edwards fortune in his own way. Roy was
put in hot water by his employer, and the same goes for Lawrence. Most, if not all characters in
the shows motivation save the servants' selflessness was greed.

The set was the wall of a mansion with french doors, a sliding door, and otherwise normal set
dressings that would fit in the venerated estate. One thing that stands out from the rest is
something that appears in act two: Edward’s body outline, which becomes something the
majority of the cast has to traipse around in order to not disrupt the crime scene. Tables, chairs,
and snack tables all create an environment of a homey place, paintings also adorning the walls.
Some set dressing gets moved around such as the doily, the vase with flowers in it, the mints,
and of course the floor continuously gets littered with random things. Overall the set makes one
want to…well…commit murder.

Well of course I recommend seeing this play, though I do believe this comes from a place of
bias. I think it’s a fun, mostly lighthearted venture through a murder. The show has plenty of
jokes to follow along with and keeps you engaged in wanting to discover who the killer is
exactly. I think this show is something anyone can enjoy and doesn’t take someone with
historical knowledge to process it much like with Henry V. That show was a little more difficult to
understand I think. Anyways, I would say this is a great show to watch and is a lot of fun!