There’s something fascinating and mysterious about the theater world. Even the phrase, ‘theater world’ sets it apart from the place the rest of us live, though we are allowed to visit. When we do, we’re prepared to believe what we’re told, not what we see. A manufactured set magically becomes a castle or a tropical island. The actors on stage take on the personas of someone else and we willingly believe. They create an entire world and a story before our eyes and we go along with it. In fact, we love them for it.
A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder is set in the Paris theater world of 1900. My sleuths, George and Frances Hazelton, are working on a cold case involving the murder of an actress. With that premise, I had to include the iconic actress, Sarah Bernhardt. Hoping to portray her accurately, I read various biographies and even her own memoir, My Double Life—and learned very few facts. Even the date and place of her birth are in dispute. It seemed as if she recounted her history differently, depending on her audience. That might be the most important thing I learned about her—she was whomever she needed to be at the time. An excellent trait for an actress, and even better for a suspect in a mystery.
When those involved in the theater are so skilled in the art of deception, could there be a more fitting place to stage a mystery? Here are seven mysteries set in the theater that will have you shouting, bravo!
Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
I don’t know if Phantom of the Opera was the first mystery written with a theater setting, but with several film and stage adaptions, it’s likely the most well-known. Rumors of an opera ghost at the Palais Garnier begin after a stage hand is found hanged to death. Oddly, the noose is missing. An investigator, known only as the Persian, looks into his murder as well as threats made by the so-called ghost who is infatuated with Christine Daaé, a soprano from the chorus. Christine, however, has fallen for former childhood friend, Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. The love triangle proves to be the Phantom’s undoing. Superstition, jealousy, and all the drama of the theater permeate this story. If you haven’t read it, you should.
Dancers in Mourning, Margery Allingham
Private detective Albert Campion has a friend whose book was just turned into a musical comedy. Someone in the production is playing malicious pranks on the star of the show, Jimmy Sutane, causing anxiety for the actor and exasperation for everyone else. The friend calls on Campion to find out who is causing all the trouble. During the investigation, Jimmy hits an actress with his car, killing her. Everyone is ready to call it an accident except Campion, whose judgement might be clouded by the fact that he has fallen in love with Jimmy’s wife. A wonderful mystery and a glimpse into the London theater scene of a bygone era.
Night at the Vulcan, Ngaio Marsh
Fun fact; in addition to writing mysteries, Ngaio Marsh was a successful theatrical producer, so it’s not surprising that several of her mysteries are set at the theater. In Night at the Vulcan, Martyn Tarne is an actress recently arrived in London from New Zealand and in need of a job. She signs on with the production at the Vulcan as dresser and understudy to the star, Helena Hamilton. When Clark Bennington, actor and husband of Hamilton, is found dead, suicide is suspected, but Inspector Alleyn begs to differ. Told through the eyes of Martyn Tarne, readers get a front row seat to all the backstage drama.
Death on the Aisle, Frances and Richard Lockridge
The setting this time is Broadway in the 1940s with married sleuths, Jerry and Pam North. The financial backer of a play is stabbed through the neck while watching a dress rehearsal at the West 45th Street Theater. Jerry North represents the plays author. He and Pam were at the rehearsal and on the case—whether Lieutenant Bill Weigand likes it or not. Dorian Hunt, Bill’s fiancée, definitely doesn’t like it as another attempted wedding is thwarted. A full contingent of theater folk with plenty of motive and opportunity round out the cast of this witty whodunit. Richard Lockridge’s career as a theater critic shows in the authenticity of the setting.
Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble, Catriona McPherson
In 1930s Scotland, the Brewer family is attempting to restore their fortune by opening the castle to tourists. They’ve also turned the castle keep into a theater where a troupe of actors are putting on a production of Macbeth. Private detective Dandy Gilver and her partner Alec Osborne are called in to find a long-lost necklace and maybe a missing man. Dandy manages American tourists and superstitious actors while she uncovers a curse, family secrets, and lies. There’s more murder going on behind the scenes than onstage.
The Twist of a Knife, Anthony Horowitz
If you aren’t familiar with the Hawthorne and Horowitz novels, you need to know that the author is also a character. Horowitz writes books about the cases Detective Hawthorne solves. Or at least he used to. When the story opens, Horowitz is telling Hawthorne he has other interests and doesn’t want to write about the detective’s cases anymore. One of those interests is his new play, MINDGAME, that just opened in London’s Vaudeville Theater. Unfortunately, the critics panned it. Margaret Throsby is particularly harsh in her criticism. The following day, she is murdered. All of the evidence points to Horowitz and he is arrested. This would be a good case for Detective Hawthorne—if Horowitz hadn’t just ended their partnership.
Murder Takes the Stage, Colleen Cambridge
Phyllida Bright, amateur sleuth and housekeeper for author, Agatha Christie is used to running a tight ship at Mallowan Hall, Agatha and her husband Max’s country home. But Phyllida and other members of the household are whisked to London while Agatha works with a theater producer to turn one of her mysteries into a play. Agatha calls on Phyllida’s investigative skills when a body is found at the Adelphia Theater, where she and the producer were meeting. The body belongs to Archibald Allston who was found seated in an armchair. The following day an actor playing the role of Benvolio is found at the Belmont Theater on the stage balcony with his head bashed in. Multiple theaters and murders along with an excess of actors, directors, stage hands, and more make for a complicated case. Fortunately, Phyllida is there to solve it, and possibly inspire Agatha Christie’s next book.
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