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Murders afoot at Canyon Moon Theatre

Sedona, AZ - Murders are afoot at Canyon Moon Theatre in Sedona. These deeds are being plotted with precision at the local Howard Johnson—well, with as much precision as three overheated bunglers can manage, that is.

Murder and the meaning of true love get a workout in a hotel room that serves as the setting of the latest Canyon Moon Theatre production. A love triangle that could better be described as a love circle is at the heart of "Murder at the Howard Johnson’s" by Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick that previews on March 13.

This over-the-top comedy is about a love triangle gone loopy. In the first act, airhead Arlene (Christina Halstead) and her dentist lover Mitchell (Ben Jayston) lure Arlene’s husband Paul (Bob Bays) to their HoJo love nest to off him. Havoc ensues. The second act, six months later, finds Arlene and Paul crafting the killing of Mitchell, the paramour who cheats on Arlene. Mayhem breaks out. In the third act, the boys want to celebrate New Year’s by bumping off the bimbo.

Halstead gives us a funny, self-delusional sexpot; Jayston provides the physical sendups as the self-involved dentist; and Bays deadpans as the bland, unsuspecting cuckold.

With no hidden messages, the audience is free to sit back and laugh at the absurdities of these murder-mangling wackos. This suspense filled who-dunnit, or better yet, who-tried-to-do-it will leave you howling for more as one murder after another is attempted and somehow fails.

Halstead’s past roles include Sara McKeon in "Earth and Sky," Suzanne in "Picasso" at the Lapin Agile, and Lili in "Carnival." Locally, her acting career includes recent performances with Canyon Moon Theatre as Sally in "Talley’s Folly," Sr. Hubert in "Nunsense," and as Peggy in "Taffetas."

Bays was lured out of acting retirement by CMT Executive Director, Mary Guaraldi. Bob was featured on Broadway in Tennessee Williams' last play, "Clothes for a Summer Hotel," directed by Jose Quintero, starring Geraldine Page and David Canary, which also played at the Kennedy Center. Off-Broadway, his best roles were Oberon/Theseus in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and a musical of "The Merry Wives of Windsor."

Jayston’s last performance at Canyon Moon was in the acclaimed "A Lion in Winter." He also co-starred in "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." A member of the Laughs on the Rocks improvisational comedy troupe, he has also appeared on the east coast in "Romeo and Juliet" and Julius Caesar.

"Murder at the Howard Johnson’s" has two preview performances at Canyon Moon on March 13 and 14, and opens on Saturday, March 15. It will run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 with a Sunday matinee at 3 through March 30, with the exception of March 16. Single tickets for previews are $16. During the run of the show, tickets are $19. Full-time student tickets are $11. For more information about the current season go to www.canyonmoontheatre.org. Tickets are available online or can be purchased at Rycus Corners in the VOC, Clothing Reflections in the Bashas’ shopping center or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006.

Season X is sponsored by The Marketplace Café and supported by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Sedona Arts and Culture Commission and the Sedona Community Foundation.



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