Berkshire on Stage

Calling all murder mystery lovers: Home Made Theater’s current production is a quintessential murder mystery to get you into the season of spooks and thrills! From the brilliant mind of Agatha Christie and adapted for the stage by Leslie Darbon, A Murder is Announced is an over-the-top, twisting and turning story of murder and intrigue. Even by Agatha Christie standards, it has so many surprise twists, secret identities, ulterior motives, and unlikely coincidences–and oh boy is it fun!

The play opens with some confusion over the paper in a boarding house run by Miss Blacklock (played by Amy L. Kerr). Once the paper is finally located, one of the residents of the house reads in it an announcement that a murder will take place at exactly 6:30pm at the very boarding house where the play takes place. Of course, a murder does occur. But it isn’t one of the residents that is killed, instead a stranger breaks in and is subsequently shot after the lights go out. As the police investigate the strange case, they are interrupted and aided by Miss Jane Marple, the witty amateur sleuth featured in many of Agatha Christie’s works and one of my personal favorite characters in literary history.

This was my first time at Saratoga Music Hall and I must admit I had some trouble finding the venue. Saratoga Music Hall is located in the same building as Saratoga’s City Hall, with a designated entrance to the side of the building. Even with its own entrance, one must still take a slightly eerie journey past the closed municipal offices, guided by handwritten signs to the Music Hall on the third floor. Once there, however, theatergoers are treated to a lovely venue with a sizable stage–at least by Upstate New York volunteer theater standards.

For this production, the stage has been transformed into a simple and elegant English country boarding house, thanks to director and scenic designer Dianne O’Neill, with the help of properties designer Maura Pickett. O’Neill clearly had a vision for the staging, and the large cast moves nimbly throughout the stage and makes the most of the space. The hair, make-up, and costumes are similarly excellent and visually enticing, with the exception of one wig which was so ill-fitting I thought the production had changed up which characters had a secret identity and that Patrick Simmons’s wig was intentionally ridiculous.

The cast displayed mixed levels of talent, with a few clear stand-outs. Brigid Beck shines with charisma as Julia Simmons, and plays excellently off of Robin Horwath, who portrays her smug brother Patrick. Beck and Horwath fight like a pair of petulant children, which makes one of the play’s twists all the more entertaining. Kim Martin is also excellent as Phillipa, a flirtatious young widow with secrets of her own. And Marilyn Demeter brings life to Miss Marple with coy wit and a hint of impertinence, exactly as the character calls for. 

In the lead role, Amy L. Kerr seemed unsure of herself at times, which does not befit this show’s leading lady. However, in the moments where Kerr found her footing and felt confident with her lines, she truly shined. I suspect that the moments where Kerr fumbled were not due to a lack of talent, but rather due to inadequate practice. Beverly Seinberg also struggled in her role as Miss Blacklock’s long-time friend, Bunny. Bunny has some very telling and some very funny lines, but unfortunately Seinberg stumbled over her lines so that many of these fell flat. It is a real shame that these two major characters didn’t quite rise to their roles, and perhaps some additional time in rehearsal could have helped them give a more enjoyable performance.

Despite its imperfections, I very much enjoyed Home Made Theater’s production of A Murder is Announced. Theatergoers who don’t appreciate a convoluted murder plot may find its all-to-convenient coincidences and plot twists on top of plot twists rather hackneyed, but fans of Agatha Christie and her ilk are sure to be entertained by this production!

Home Made Theater presents A Murder is Announced by Leslie Darbon, directed by Dianne O’Neill, runs from October 10-19, 2025, at the Saratoga Music Hall, 474 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY. Produced by Linda Bertrand. Stage Managed by Caitlin Wickes. Cast: Betsy Wilcox as Mrs. Swettenham, Ken Killian as Sergeant Mellors, Kim Martin as Phillipa, George Doherty as Rudi Scherz, Brigid Beck as Julia Simmons, Marilyn Detmer as Miss Marple, Robin Horwath as Patrick Summons, Beverly Seinberg as Dora “Bunny” Bunner, Peter Burleigh as Inspector Craddock, Amy L. Kerr as Miss Blacklock, Jackson Feldman as Edmund Swettenham, and Eryn Amodeo as Mitzi. Fight choreography by Kim Martin. Sound design by Anne-Marie Baker. Costume design by Libby Brennesholtz. Make-up by Kim Martin. Scenic design by Dianne O’Neill. Properties design by Maura Pickett.

Performance dates are Friday-Sunday. Friday, and Saturday curtains are at 7pm and Sundays are matinees only at 2pm. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors 65 and up, $20 for students, and free for kids 5 and under. Runs approximately 2 hours and twenty minutes with one intermission. Contains gunshots. Recommended for ages 12+. For more information or to order tickets, visit https://homemadetheater.org/, call 518-587-4427, or email info@homemadetheater.org.