April 5, 2000

Planning the perfect murder no real mystery

By Justin Trapp
Herald staff writer
       Just as the guests are finishing their cocktails, dinner arrives. The environment is just right: ambient light, music, courteous service, and good food abound. Guests enjoy their meals while, in lavish outfits and wild hair styles, models parade down the catwalk, all full of grace and composure.
      At least, that is, until the last model fell dead on the runway.
      The meal, the fashion show, and the murder were all organized by the owners of Tempest Entertainment, a company that hosts murder mystery shows.
      "What better setting than a fashion show for something like this to happen?" asked Tim Hall, who, along with his wife Paula, owns Tempest Entertainment.
      The company was founded several years ago, according to Tim and Paula. They are also the only active murder mystery entertainment in the city, Tim said.
      Murder mysteries are designed to give people a good time, maybe a brief scare or two, and a chance to solve the case with their friends, family, and co-workers. Behind the scenes, however, things are much more complex than you might think.
      After arranging the fashion show, reserving a venue, deciding the dinner menu, writing the script, setting up the stage and so on, the only thing that Tim and Paula may not have gotten enough of was sleep.
      From concept to reality, the latest murder mystery show, entitled "Drop Dead Gorgeous," was held in the Park Place Dome for a public audience last Saturday evening. Starring in the show was Julie Van Dusen, a local actress.
      "If I could just tie Julie up and make her wait for every murder mystery I do, I would," said Paula, who praised Van Dusen's talents. "I wouldn't even have to write a script for her. I would say, 'All right. You're a model and you're mean.' I just know that I would never have to worry about it again."
      This doesn't mean that murder mystery entertainment is scripted like a normal theater show. According to Paula, who writes the scripts for Tempest Entertainment, much of the dialogue is spontaneous.
      After selecting from a group of core actors, Tim and Paula held auditions for their show. Each cast member was then given a character description, a "hate" list and a list of events that will happen throughout the show.
      Tim and Paula encourage the actors to be ready for anything, since most audiences come equipped with a "wise-guy" and because Tim and Paula reserve the right to convict any actor of the murder, regardless of what the script may say. This cooperative creativity for the show, coupled with the paranoia of not knowing whodunit, leads for some outrageous comments.
      "The fashion editor, when she was shot, screamed and yelled 'How rude!,'" said Tim with a grin.
      "Drop Dead Gorgeous" was, the Halls noted, a larger undertaking than many other previous murder mysteries. Calling all the participants of the fashion show, which included Impres Salon, Epiphany Salon, Ella's, Raven's Child and Wings, took a lot of work. And that's before the stage, or dinner, was set.
      Though the next public appearance of a genuine Tempest Entertainment mystery is not set, Tim and Paula are always planning the next perfect murder.