“B-I-N-G-O Spells Murder” Takes Stage This Weekend

by Jonathan Weaver

A cast of characters in the Armstrong Community Theater murder mystery dinner hopes guests to their game of bingo can help solve a murder this weekend.

During the hour murder mystery “B-I-N-G-O Spells Murder,” Father Patrick O`Sullivan (played by Dwight Snyder) and faithful parishioners of the fictional Our Lady of Lost Causes are trying to raise money to save the orphanage when Church Secretary Judy Tremont (played by Marj Thomas) is found strangled by the chain of her own glasses, stabbed in the back and all the money from the evening’s fun stolen.

Without police assistance, Father O`Sullivan tries to weed through a cast of suspects – such as Greg and Jennifer – a financially-strapped engaged couple who hope to get married next month -, Bunny DeVaine and wimpy husband Claude Chandum - a pair of developers from Savannah, Georgia hoping to make the church hall into condominiums – or mobster Joey Verricione – working for Mob Boss Don Knots who bought out the mortgage from the bank.

It is the first dinner theater for Ford City High School Senior Chad Cloonan – who plays as ‘Greg’ with Karissa Lloyd of Vandergrift as his fiancée.

Lloyd asked Cloonan to audition for the part after both met at the winter variety show. Both have a strong friendship and said the cast was prepared for opening night tomorrow.

During the interrogation, ‘Greg’ admits to having a letter opener in his pocket, and is even found with the secretary’s glasses chain.

“No one knows what I did with it,” Cloonan said. “That’s the mystery.”

Emily Younkins –who has directed her share of theater performances – plays as DeVaine

“Last year, I said ‘I’m not going to direct it – I want to be in (the dinner theater),” Younkins said. “Acting, you get to be something else and step into somebody’s shoes for a while. They both have their challenges, but they’re both a lot of fun.”

The cast of nine community has been practicing under Director Laura Lloyd about two months.

“Everybody loves Bingo,” Lloyd said. “I thought this was so funny – and we actually added a game of Bingo into the script.”

The stuffed chicken or beef dinner will be catered by Market on Reynolds in Kittanning.

A dinner theater has been held for about a dozen years of the theater’s history.

The show begins at the Worthington Civic Center tomorrow night at 7PM.

Another evening live show will be held at the same time Saturday before a 1PM matinee Sunday.

Advanced tickets can be purchased before Saturday night by calling the theater at
724-297-3228 or through purchase at Quality Inn Royale in West Kittanning or the Worthington-West Franklin Community Library.

 

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