Pies will fly

Murder may not seem like humorous fare for the stage.

But when mixed with sweet whipped cream and airy pie crusts, it does the trick.

Jay County High School Thespian Troupe 574 will perform the comedic murder mystery “Offed at the Bake-Off” this weekend.

“We’re just trying something a little different that people haven’t seen here,” said director Cain Bilbrey. “And it would be something fun.”

“It’s super funny,” said JCHS senior Sky Renner, who plays Majorie Margarine. “It’s full of utter ridiculousness.”

The play by Matt and Mike Steele opens on a stormy night at the Knotting Inn on the Jersey Shore as various guests arrive for an annual bake-off. Contestants range from the egotistical defending champion to an elderly woman accompanied by her husband to a teacher to the inn’s proprietor.

Eventually, the Helen Hagerty’s students (and perhaps some others) die.

Enter the aptly named Detective Detective (Alex Ardizzone), who both narrates the show in a film noir style and seeks to find out which of the contestants and other guests at the inn is the killer.

“The whole play is pretty much spent trying to figure out who murdered the students,” said Caleb Weaver, a JCHS senior who plays inn owner Clyde Chesterfield. “It’s a comedy, but it’s also a little bit of a murder mystery. But mostly comedy. It’s a lot of people scrambling around, a lot of visual humor …

“We’ve had a lot of serious shows (in the past),” he said, referencing “Bang Bang You’re Dead” and “The Miracle Worker,” among others. “I’ve done funny shows in the past. I like this one because it strikes a nice middle ground. … This show I think does a pretty good job of balancing it out and giving some nice beats to a show that’s mostly slapstick comedy.”

Weaver said he’s also excited for the opportunity to do some improv, as part of the show includes audience participation with the performers then given the opportunity to respond.

It marks the first live production for the thespian troupe since it crammed three — “Almost, Maine,” “Junie B. Jones” and “Bang Bang You’re Dead” — into a single month in 2019.

It is also the JCHS directorial debut for Bilbrey, who took over leadership of the drama program following Carol Gebert’s retirement at the end of the 2019-20 school year.

Bilbrey is a 1989 JCHS graduate who went on to Ball State University. He did his equity actor apprenticeship at The Barn Theatre in Michigan, toured with Ballet Internationale of Indianapolis and has worked as a technical director at various stops including Raleigh, North Carolina, and Muncie Civic Theatre.

His recent on-stage roles include Gandalf in 768 Players’ production of “Fellowship!” and Shrek in Jay County Civic Theatre’s production of “Shrek the Musical.”

“I just can’t get away from theatre,” he joked.

“We’re going to do everything we can to keep live theatre alive in Jay County,” he added. “I want our program working with other programs in the community.

“That’s important.”

Bilbrey noted that one of the biggest challenges for young performers is portraying characters and feelings they may have never experienced. For instance, Logan Zimmerman and Ruth Maitlen play elderly couple Ethel and Ernest Edinberg. Samuel Harding and Ozlynn Detro are married as Paul and Pauline Pingleton.

“They’re growing,” Bilbrey said. “They take their notes. We’ve went leaps and bounds.”

The cast also includes Jocelyn Nelson as Thelma Pittlefish, Hannah Littler as Hagerty, McKenna Vore as Sally Scarsdale, Ralyn Chaffins as Carolyn Chesterfield, Talon Harvey as Sister Mary Martha, Thomas Charles as Wally Wallford, Gabriela Bilbrey as Brutus Badour, Marisa Gallegos Vargas as the mysterious woman, Sammie Sager as Velma Pittlefish, Cassandra Coffin as Blanche Pittlefish and Hannah Boggs as Gabby Goober.

Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday as well as 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the JCHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door.

“It's a really, really fun show,” said Weaver. “You’re going to have trouble finding just 30 seconds of space where you’re not going to be laughing. It’s really great because it’s a show where you kind of get to laugh with the people on stage.”

Added Renner: “It’s going to be hilarious.”