Lawrence C. Connolly's Blog, page 13

This Week on Mystery Theatre: The Case of the Rotating Portrait

You study the girl in the portrait, her face askance, as if she is in the process of turning away from the viewer. Her skin is smooth, neck slender and adorned with a ribbon, head high and capped with a bonnet. You fix your gaze, study her until, in a blink, the portrait changes. The slender neck vanishes, and the ribbon that adorned it has become the thin-lipped grin of a face that now appears to be turning toward you. And the skin—no longer flawlessly smooth—appears wrinkled and creased.

That...

This Week on Mystery Theatre: The Case of the Rotating Portrait

You study the girl in the portrait, her face askance, as if she is in the process of turning away from the viewer. Her skin is smooth, neck slender and adorned with a ribbon, head high and capped with a bonnet. You fix your gaze, study her until, in a blink, the portrait changes. The slender neck vanishes, and the ribbon that adorned it has become the thin-lipped grin of a face that now appears to be turning toward you. And the skin—no longer flawlessly smooth—appears wrinkled and creased.

In t...

This Week on Mystery Theatre:Arsenic, Old Lace, and Obnoxious Padre

For a gallon of elderberry wine, I take one teaspoonful of arsenic, then add a half teaspoonful of strychnine, and then just a pinch of cyanide.

That’s Aunt Martha’s recipe for wine with a kick (as in kick the bucket) from Joseph Kesselring’s dark-comedy classic Arsenic and Old Lace, and it’s too bad Jonathan Brewster and Dr. Einstein didn’t get the message.

The same can be said for Humphry Jones and Janet Kessinger in Prime Stage Mystery … [read more at  The 21st-Century Scop].

This Week on Mystery Theatre:Arsenic, Old Lace, and Obnoxious Padre

For a gallon of elderberry wine, I take one teaspoonful of arsenic, then add a half teaspoonful of strychnine, and then just a pinch of cyanide.

That’s Aunt Martha’s recipe for wine with a kick (as in kick the bucket) from Joseph Kesselring’s dark-comedy classic Arsenic and Old Lace, and it’s too bad Jonathan Brewster and Dr. Einstein didn’t get the message.

Dr. Einstein (Matt Henderson) and  Johnathan Brewster (Alex Blair) in Prime Stage Theatre’s Arsenic and Old Lace.

The same can be said for ...

This Weekend at Prime Stage:Study the Clues of “A Most Deadly Poison”

A selection of drinks stands on the table. Their labels read Obnoxious Padre Wine, Stained Fork Ale, and Roast’d Knife IPA. There’s also a pot of Goofy Odour Tea and a plate of wafers simply labeled A Set of Tea Biscuits.

The challenge: determine which are safe and which (if any) might be poisoned.

Such will be the puzzle awaiting attendees who drop by the Mystery Theatre display at this weekend’s opening of … [read more at The 21st-Century Scop].

Get out Your Spyglasses and Wineglasses:A New Chapter of PSMT Begins Today

Would you drink a wine labeled Arrogant Frog? How about Big Ass Red or Cat’s Pee on a Goosberry Bush?

Yes, they’re real wines, and just a few of the crazier ones listed in a Vinepair article titled “10 Of The World’s Weirdest Wine Labels.” And although a recent article in claims that winemakers use such names “to signal how different their wines are from traditional estates’ conventional vino,” one might wonder if there is more going on.

And you may well wonder the same while listening...

Get out Your Spyglasses and Wineglasses:A New Chapter of PSMT Begins Today

Would you drink a wine labeled Arrogant Frog? How about Big Ass Red or Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush?

Yes, they’re real wines, and just a few of the crazier ones listed in a Vinepair article titled “10 Of The World’s Weirdest Wine Labels.” And although a recent article in claims that winemakers use such names “to signal how different their wines are from traditional estates’ conventional vino,” one might wonder if there is more going on.

And you may well wonder the same while listenin...

Poirot is Back:Live at the O’Reilly & Streaming on Hulu

Hercule Poirot enters in a swirl of mist–walking stick in hand, overcoat draped across his shoulders, and a great mustache perched atop his upper lip.

In all, he seems to have stepped from the pages of one of Agatha Christie’s novels.

Played with great flair by Pittsburgh-based actor, director, and playwright Martin Giles, this Poirot instantly commands attention … and continues to do so for the duration of … [read more at The 21st-Century Scop.]

Poirot is Back:Live at the O’Reilly & Streaming on Hulu

Hercule Poirot enters in a swirl of mist–walking stick in hand, overcoat draped across his shoulders, and a great mustache perched atop his upper lip.

In all, he seems to have stepped from the pages of one of Agatha Christie’s novels.

Played with great flair by Pittsburgh-based actor, director, and playwright Martin Giles, this Poirot instantly commands attention … and continues to do so for the duration of the Pittsburgh Public Theatre production of Murder on the Orient Express.

Adapted from th...

Coming May 5 to PSMT: Episode One of “A Most Deadly Poison”

With Prime Stage set to release a new season of Mystery Theatre in May, there’s no time like now to catch up on past installments, all of which are available on Apple,   Audible,   Deezer,   Libsyn,   Spotify, or the podcasts page at PrimeStage.com.

Each season features an all-new five-act mystery, with most episodes running between 10-15 minutes–just right for taking a mystery break during your busy day.

Our Season 5 story, “A Most Deadly Poison” (set to coincide with the premiere of Prime Stag...