BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – Two feuding mountain families and a nearly 1,000-pound pig are the beginnings of the latest dinner theatre offering from West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Department of Theatre & Dance.
Written and directed by Dr. Gregory Mach, associate professor, “The Case of the Sleepwalking Pig” promises lots of laughs, some mountain music and a murder-mystery to solve.
The play starts with a meeting to announce that Curly Boy, the 977-pound MacRoy family pig, has been kidnapped. The MacRoys suspect the Flatfield family and they want the pig back. The pastor tries to keep the peace as accusations and old animosities fly, stirring up the feud again.
Mach said, “We started doing these dinner theatre mysteries 10 years ago, and we have such a blast every time. It’s a great way to showcase our talent and the great food at these restaurants. The audience has so much fun because they are a part of the action- they have to figure out ‘whodunnit,’ or sit back and laugh while other people figure it all out. Either way, it’s two hours of fun, great food, and great music.”
There are three opportunities to try to figure out ‘whodunnit.”
On November 4, the dinner theatre will be produced at the Buckhannon Opera House on Main Street at 6:30 p.m. The menu includes slow-roasted pork, mashed potatoes with peppercorn gravy, homestyle green beans, American salad, artisan dinner rolls, soda, water or coffee and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Tickets are $30. Call 304-472-8369 for reservations.
The following weekend, there are two showtimes at 2 or 6 p.m. on November 12 at the Lodge in Alpena, located in Bowden. The menu includes pulled pork, baked mac ‘n’ cheese, collard greens, five-bean bake, cole slaw, cornbread, garden salad, homemade bread an choice of pineapple upside down or chocolate cream cake. Tickets are $45 per person and call 304-636-1470.
“Doing these shows helps our students to learn the ins and outs of improvisational theatre,” Mach said. “They never know what the audience will say or will ask them, so they have to figure out how to answer in character and in a way that will help their character get away with it, or implicate another character, or just move the plot along. And usually they’ll give us a good laugh along the way.”
