Murder in Morocco, staged at the Vocational Training Center’s (VTC) A Street Café, was an off, off, off Broadway play. This one-act drama, a lot of fun to watch, had a very limited run. We are talking one night.
Diane Balay wrote it for a Noontime Rotary fundraiser. A production of the play, along with an authentic Moroccan dinner, had been auctioned off some time ago.
April 15 was a date agreeable to all concerned, so on that Saturday, after dinner for the auction winners, members of the public were invited in, gratis, to enjoy the play, which was directed by Lynda Gantt and performed by Noontime Rotary members. Gantt and Sharon Henning, wearing a genuine Moroccan caftan, greeted guests at the door.
“We all had such a good time doing this,” Lynda said.
Georgia Shore and her mother, Shirley Erickson, were among the 40 or so in the audience. Jean Shinn was another familiar face. Doug and Teri Lee Coleman were at the dinner table with guests and fellow Rotarians.
I’m a sucker for amateur theatrical productions. They are generally a hoot, no matter what the subject matter. This play was no exception.
The action takes place in Rick’s Café Americain in Morocco, in November 1942, on the eve of an invasion (an actual event) by the Allies, who were after the Germans who had invaded and were running around scaring and shooting people.
In a phone interview with the playwright, I learned that everyone stranded in the café is a spy for the good guys. They include three Americans (the piano player, the waiter/ham radio operator, and a Hollywood movie star); a Polish refugee and her daughter (who, with shades of As the World Turns, is revealed to be the daughter also of the piano player, who was clueless about his fatherhood); two English women; and an Italian opera singer.
A local ship owner and a member of the Gestapo round out the characters. The fabled Nohr ruby figures prominently in the plot—it is the ticket out for those desperate to leave.
Cast members included Jed Beebe, Diane Borad-Mirken, Allison Borja, Ruben Escobedo III, Diana Harb, John Henning, Andrew Millar and daughter Aiden, and Jason Tealander.
After a confrontation, the Nazi shoots and kills Borad-Mirken off-stage. This was unfortunate, because she was all dressed up and fun to watch.
A highlight of the evening was when Jed Beebe, as an Italian opera star, let loose with an a capella operatic aria.
In the movie Casablanca, an obvious inspiration for this play, the No. 1 Nazi gets shot at the end of the film. This short play was not long enough for a similar act of retribution, but perhaps in the sequel.
The A Street Café proved to be a pleasant venue for the event. According to one of the cast members, Tealander (VTC’s executive director), VTC is toying with the idea of having mystery dinners in the café.
Murder in Morocco is one in a series of mystery dinner plays written by Balay for fundraising events. Among her other works in this genre are Invitation to a Murder, Murder Al Dente, and A Death in Tuscany.
Lots of material for a nonprofit dinner theater!
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at column151@gmail.com.
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 4, 2017.
