Murder, mystery and mayhem: Batavia High School to present 'Lucky Stiff'
Batavia High School will bring an offbeat, hilarious murder mystery to the stage this weekend with its performances of "Lucky Stiff," directed by Dominic A. Cattero.
Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, April 28-30, at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, 1201 Main St., Batavia. Tickets are available online at www.BataviaFineArtsCentre.org and at the box office by calling (630) 937-8930. Ticket prices are $10-$16.
"Lucky Stiff" is based on the novel "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" by Michael Butterworth. This farce is complete with mistaken identities, $6 million in diamonds, and a corpse in a wheelchair.
The story revolves around an unassuming English shoe salesman who is forced to take the embalmed body of his recently murdered uncle on a vacation to Monte Carlo. Should he succeed in passing his uncle off as alive, Harry Witherspoon stands to inherit $6 million. If not, the money goes to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, or else his uncle's gun-toting ex.
English shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon (played by junior Cam Tucker) spends his Friday night taking inventory in a shoe shop, dreaming of a better life.
Arriving at his shabby apartment, run by a mean-spirited landlady (played by junior Ivy Flessen), he receives a telegram summoning him to a solicitor's (played by senior Mikkel Knutson) office. There, Harry learns that Anthony Hendon, an American uncle that he never met, has left him $6 million. However, to receive the estate, Harry must take the corpse of his Uncle Anthony on an all-expenses paid "vacation" to Monte Carlo.
Uncle Anthony's embalmed body (played by sophomore Max Micheli) is in a wheelchair and has been dressed to appear alive. Harry must fulfill the tasks specified by his uncle's will, or the money will go to his uncle's favorite charity, the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn. Harry reluctantly accepts the terms of the will.
He travels to Monte Carlo with the cassette tape that contains his instructions, a mysterious heart-shaped box, and his uncle's corpse in the wheelchair.
Meanwhile, in Atlantic City, optometrist Vinnie DiRuzzio (played by junior Ian Samsami) is suddenly visited by his distressed, legally blind sister Rita LaPorta (played by senior Meghan Rocha). She shows him a news article: "English shoe salesman has inherited six million dollars from his casino manager uncle."
Rita tells Vinnie that due to her poor eyesight she accidentally shot her lover Tony, the casino manager and with his help she embezzled $6 million worth of diamonds from her husband. The heart-shaped box that contained the diamonds has disappeared.
On the train to Monte Carlo, Harry meets Luigi Gaudi (played by senior Johnny Hohman), a flashy Italian, who offers to be his tour guide. He arrives in Monte Carlo with his uncle and soon notices that a young woman from the train is following him and he confronts her.
Her name is Annabel Glick (played by senior Sarah Heylmun), a representative of the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, and she earnestly attempts to convince Harry to donate his uncle's money to the Dog Home. That night Harry, Annabel and Luigi go to a glamorous nightclub where the glitzy Emcee (played by junior Justin Knautz) introduces the captivating singer and dancer Dominique du Monaco (played by sophomore Natalie Sweeney) to the crowd and she sings a flamboyant cabaret number.
Harry decides to leave his uncle in his hotel room and returns to the casino for a night of fun. Chaos ensues and a maid (played by Epiphany Chasmar) mistakes Uncle Anthony for a pile of laundry and wheels him away.
Unable to locate Uncle Anthony, Annabel and Harry return to Harry's room where several people attempt to earn a cash reward by bringing people in wheelchairs (played by senior Joe Guritz and junior Robbie DiCosola) into the room, but none is Uncle Anthony.
Will Uncle Anthony be found? Will Harry inherit the $6 million? Or will everything go to the dogs?
"Lucky Stiff" is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International; book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty.