Amusing Mayhem at Murder Marinara

Who killed “Tony Loprano?”

That was the big question posed to guests at the during “Murder Marinara” the Murder On Cue Mystery Theater show presented Fri., April 29. With a mix of improv humor, silly games and delicious food the capacity crowd got more than enough for their money.

The evening began with “Don Loprano,” dressed in a black suit, black glasses and a white tie, greeting the crowd on the porch of the mansion at about a quarter to 7. He said the mansion was still being swept for “bugs.” He even checked under one woman’s elaborate hat for a wire, speaking into it, “I pay my taxes and I love the police.”

As patrons were ushered in, there was one snag when the “Red Hat Society,” a women’s social group, was seated in two separate rooms. But Oakeside representative Joanna Zurlo quickly rearranged the seating to keep the 13 ladies together.

Once everyone was seated in the cozy dining room three mobsters, including “Loprano,” mingled with crowd, joking and ribbing anyone within earshot.

After hors d'oeuvres and drinks the crowd was taken into the atrium where the performance by the trio of wise-guys began in earnest. “Jimmy Boombots” revealed himself as an undercover FBI agent searching for whoever poisoned “Tony Loprano,” twin brother of “Don Loprano.” “Bobby Bocciballs," Tony’s right-hand man, was the number one suspect.

The guests from the audience played the remaining roles “Eda Cannoli,” “Paulie Peanuts” and “Sal Manila.” After a number of interrogations, made all the more hilarious by the performances from the amateurs, everyone broke for dinner.

The spread included penne in a rich vodka sauce, a light eggplant parmigiana, chicken cutlets and marinated peppers and zucchini. The patrons loved it, going for seconds and laughing merrily the whole time.

When everyone returned, the second half of the show began with a sing-a-long version of “That’s Amore.” After another round of side-splitting routines, the crowd was asked to guess who the killer was. Besides prizes for correct guesses, there were also a pair of prizes for the two best actors of the night.

“It was a very nice production and it was nice to have the audience involved...I think we all had a good time doing it,” said school teacher Elda Fontane (who played “Carmella” and happened to drop the sole expletive of the night).

“It’s great for the area. It’s always a good time," said John Dwyer (“Don Loprano”). "We always sell out. It’s crazy. I love it. We always have a good time as you can see.”

So who really whacked Tony Loprano?

The Murder on Cue Mystery Theater will be back at the Oakeside on June 17. Check them out and see if you can figure out the mystery.