[NEohioPAL] Canal Fulton Players- Last weekend of Closing Night by Craig May

[David Van Gaasbeek via NEohioPAL]

He did it with Dot’s Journey. Now, Craig May has written a murder mystery play that will again enthrall an audience with twists and turns that will keep one guessing all night. Closing Night is based in 1955 at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City. The cast and the crew are getting ready to present a gothic romance chiller in the tradition of Rebecca or Wuthering Heights. The play is called Deadly Nightfall, which was written by an up and coming playwright who was crippled while fighting in World War II. The play deals with a doomed romance in England right after the war. It made sense to everyone who read it before the leading actor, Drew David Hoffman, began to make unreasonable demands to change the story to suit his massive ego. The actor gets his way since he has a very famous name which impresses the theatre’s management. The result is an awful mess which only makes sense to the actor.
The playwright, Emory Lovelace, along with renowned Broadway director, Antoinette Corzanno, is determined to present the play no matter what condition it is in. That decision raises the rancor of the two leading actresses, Nadine Delacroix and Margo Treadwell, who find their parts changed and shortened by the demands of the actor. Both threaten to leave the production until certain facts are brought to their attention that prevents them from walking out the door.
Throw in several love affairs among the actors and crew, a wardrobe woman who is totally oblivious to the demands of the actor, a nervous and thin skinned stage assistant, and a lighting person who hates everyone, and one can realize that the playwright and the director are marching towards doom because the playwright has invested his entire life savings in producing this play. It will be a major miracle if Deadly Nightfall opens coherently and on time. 
That is when death comes into the equation. When someone dies mysteriously, it appears at first that the cast and crew are saved from presenting this clap trap play. Or are they? It appears that the victim was murdered but it could have been an accident. It is up to the police to discover if the death was murder, what the motive was if it was murder, and the culprit. Using odd investigative techniques, the police begin to unravel the mystery behind the death. One will have to stay until the end to determine whether or not it is murder and if so, who done it and why.
Mr. May has written a play in which there are forty characters. What he has done is designated them to be played by ten to fifteen actors. Thus, many of the actors in this play, Closing Night, will play multiple characters in not only the present (1955) but also within the play (1946). 
To see this brilliant play within the play as it evolves from a gothic thriller to a spellbinding mystery, one will have to come to the Canal Fulton Players production of Closing Night on August 21-22, 28-29 at 7:30 pm to find out whether Deadly Nightfall opens and whether there is murder in the air. Presented at the SALT Box Ministries, 408 West Market Street, Canal Fulton, Ohio, Closing Night is appropriate for all ages. Admission is $8.00 for adults and $6.00 for seniors and children under the age of twelve. There will be no Sunday performances. Also, there will be a prize of two tickets for Alice in Wonderland each night of the performance of Closing Night to the person who correctly guesses what has happened and who is the culprit, if any. Sounds easy but do not be fooled. It is a highly involved play within a play and one will have to be on his or her toes to determine whether or not there was a murder and who was the culprit if there was a murder.
For reservations and information, please call David Van Gaasbeek at 330-494-1022 or 330-854-4387.
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