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Entertainment

A thriller with a killer

Murder at the Monster's Ball puts a creepy twist on the popular audience puzzler.

By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN
Published October 21, 2005

	[Times photo: Brendan Fitterer]
	Mikel Hayes, 16, plays a gothic recluse in Murder at the Monster's Ball at Center Stage Theatre & Dance Academy. Hayes' character is one of several who discover the body of a famous monster on their way to a ball.

At first, the crew at the Center Stage Theatre & Dance Academy in New Port Richey planned to have a simple Halloween costume party.

"Then Ken (Craypo), our technical director, said, "Murder mysteries have gone over here, so why don't we do one of those,' " said Chelle St. Pierre, a dance instructor at the studio. Armana Maxon, another studio dance teacher, had performed in mystery theater shows, so she volunteered to help Ms. St. Pierre write a script.

The result is Murder at the Monster's Ball, a sort of show within a show, with audience participation.

A cast of 11 students, two instructors and studio owner Debbie Snyder make up the cast. Craypo did the Transylvanian castle-style set, spooky lights and special effects. Ms. St. Pierre chose the music.

"We're doing one big pop number, Michael Jackson's Thriller, but the rest were chosen because they're different - scary and strange," she said.

The show opens as the cast members are headed to the Monsters' Ball, decked out as the Bride of Frankenstein (Nikole Farchione), Vampira (Alex Murphy), Werewolf (Teddy Toye), Gypsy Fortune Teller (Amber Toye), Gothic Recluse (Mikel Hayes), Swamp Thing (Jackie Snyder), Witch (AnnaLisa Armitage), Creature from the Black Lagoon (Desirae Snyder), Egor (Bobby Brandt), Goblin (Alicia Randazzo) a deranged Tinkerbell (Hannah Hall) and Belly Dancer (Ms. Maxon).

As they come close to the castle, they see the outline of a huge body on the ground. They learn that the outline is of the Frankenstein Monster, who has been murdered.

"They decide to go ahead and have the ball, because Frankenstein would have wanted it that way," Ms. St. Pierre said.

As the ball progresses, two more monsters are murdered.

Egad! There's a serial killer on the loose. And the audience not only has to figure out who the killer is, they also have to explain the killer's motive, if they want to win the prize.

As the audience solves the puzzle, the monsters dance to songs like Switchblade Symphony, the rocking Walk Like An Egyptian, and the scary Dance of the Vampire.

There's even a tap dancing Werewolf.

WHAT: Murder at the Monster's Ball

WHERE: Center Stage Theatre & Dance Academy, 5201 U.S. 19 (Southgate Shopping Center), New Port Richey

WHEN: 7 p.m. today and Oct. 28 and 30

TICKETS: $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Box office is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Call (727) 815-0100

[Last modified October 21, 2005, 15:48:20]