After years of hosting the wildly successful Rudolph the Pissed-Off Reindeer, Bay View's Alchemist Theatre turns to a new show for this holiday season. Who Killed the Ghost of Christmas Past?, set on Christmas Eve in 1929, is a high-concept, highly interactive murder-mystery. In this show written by Michael Timm, a murder has interrupted the Valhalla Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol. Audience members are encouraged to interact with the cast in an effort to discover the killer.
With all of the preprogrammed holiday fare, it's refreshing to see a show that challenges audiences at this time of year. And this latest show by Alchemist Theatre is exactly what one would expect from the theater group that hosted the unique, complex Faust: An Evening at the Mephisto Theatre earlier this season.
The cast for Timm's third murder-mystery includes some tremendous talent. Grace DeWolff and Alice Wilson have previously appeared with the Alchemist. DeWolff put in a haunting performance in Murder Castle. Wilson's most memorable work is with the silent sketch comedy group The M.U.T.E.S. Others in the cast include Ellen Dunphy, Rebecca Segal, Lineve Thurman and Greg Ryan.
Who Killed the Ghost of Christmas Past? runs Dec. 1-17. For ticket reservations, visit www.alchemisttheatre.com.
Theater Happenings
- Junie B. Jones, Barbara Park's beloved first-grade character, returns to First Stage Children's Theater for the holiday show Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! The Allison Gregory stage adaptation runs Nov. 25-Dec. 24 at the Marcus Center's Todd Wehr Theater. For ticket reservations, call 414-273-7206.
- Racine Theatre Guild stages Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, the musical adaptation of the classic children's book, Dec. 2-18. Call 262-633-4218 for ticket reservations.
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