Have you ever watched a play where you could choose the ending? This month, at the Penny Smith Theater in Meadville, “Pick Your Poison” can end eight different ways, and the audience will decide which way they want.
“Pick Your Poison” is a murder mystery farce (a comedy that uses exaggerated or ridiculous characters and situations to entertain). This murder mystery, originally written by Laura Barbieri, will be directed this month by Abby Stine at the Meadville Community Theatre, located at 18301 Glen St, Meadville, PA. “Pick Your Poison” features Sir Nicholas Blackburn, who invites some old friends and acquaintances, alongside one stranger, to his estate. The cast members involved in this murder mystery include Jessie Rhoades, Kaleigh White, William Marceau IV, Aaron Stine, Kelly Perrett, Vinnie Sheehan-Kohler, Aaron Butler, and Adam Leute However. Not all characters will live through the estate visit, but who will die? You decide.
On Fridays-Sundays from November 14-23, “Pick Your Poison” will be performed at different times. On Fridays and Saturdays, the farce will start at 7:30 pm, and on Sundays it’ll start at 2:00 pm. How do you decide the ending of this estate murder? At intermission, a vote on who is murdered in the play will change the ending.
If you’re still wondering why you should go to this performance, the Meadville Community Theatre says, “Pick Your Poison is a little-seen show. Only one other production is scheduled for this year in the whole country.” On their website, the director, Abby Stine, tells us more about why she wanted to direct this murder mystery, saying she thought “the audience participation factor… would be really fun for both the audience and the cast.” Stine continues working on this performance, taking it as a “really fun” challenge for herself after recalling her high school drama teacher telling her she “ Would never do a show with multiple endings before she knew about me directing this show.”
If you’re thinking about going to this performance, ticket prices vary, with adult tickets being sixteen dollars and fourteen dollars for students and seniors. For more details, visit https://www.mctbackstage.com/portfolio/pick-your-poison/.