Laughter, terror and mystery abound in Blyth Festival’s “Resort to Murder”

What’s so funny about a murder, you say?

Well, get a ticket to the world premiere of “Resort to Murder” at the Blyth Festival Theatre, and you’ll quickly find out.

The play, written by Birgitte Solem, opened Friday night and had the audience laughing and spellbound through some magnificent, yet terrifying action, right to the shocking and surprising ending!

Set in an old family mansion on Lake Huron, the story focuses on Brett and his wife, Viv, who have inherited this home, and dream of starting a country resort but have different visions of what a tourist destination should be. She would like a spa and quiet retreat, while he wants a murder mystery-themed escape room.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Brett creates the escape room, and just a few days before he and Viv welcome their first guests, they gather their reluctant staff in the attic for a trial run.

And, of course, a sudden storm rolls in off the lake, the lights go out, the door locks and this light-hearted game turns into an electrifying night of murderous confessions, twists and turns that will leave you breathless.

Jamie Mac, making his debut at Blyth, and Fiona Mongillo are brilliant as Brett and Viv, carrying much of the conversation. He glibly refers to himself as “Sterling” and smokes a pipe in his role as the murder mystery narrator, urging them to solve the puzzle, find the murderer and escape from the room – ending his directions with an evil laugh.

Their reluctant staff members are played beautifully by Hallie Seline as Gayle, Landon Doak as Josh, and Geoffrey Armour as Silas.

Gayle practically drips with sarcasm as she shows no interest in the game, citing that she was simply paid to be here on her day off, while Josh is more interested in pitching his idea for white-water rafting at the resort.

Meanwhile, Silas as the chef is cooking up more than just some fancy pastries.

As the lights go out and Brett disappears, the remaining four wonder whether this is actually part of the game and begin panicking, trying to decipher the code to open the steel door and get out of the room. To do that, they have to work together and find clues to the mystery.

So, whodunit? Was that really a creepy hand in the window? Why is there a knife, and then a gun?

Is anyone going to get out of this escape room alive?

You’ll have to get a ticket and find out.

“Resort to Murder” continues Aug. 3, 6, 10, 18, 20-22 and 31 at 2 p.m., and Aug. 8, 9, 17 and 30 at 8 p.m., at Blyth Memorial Hall.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call the box office at 1-877-862-5984 or visit blythfestival.com.



Hallie Seline (right) as Gayle helps her fellow employee, Josh (Landon Doak), off the floor in the murder mystery escape room, in a scene from "Resort to Murder" which opened Friday night at the Blyth Festival Theatre; with them, are Fiona Mongillo (left) as Viv, Jamie Mac as Brett, and Geoffrey Armour as Silas; photos by Gemma James Smith



Hallie Seline as Gayle wields a knife as the lights go out, in "Resort to Murder," on at the Blyth Festival Theatre until Aug. 31