Murder by Moonlight seeks community amongst chaos

Late Saturday night, news of a heinous crime struck the Fallout Theater. The suspects? A panel of comedians, each tasked with either finding the culprit or picking off the others.

Murder by Moonlight originated from a hangout where producer and host Norm Scott, playing the murder mystery board game Blood on the Clocktower, realized the potential of converting the game into a live show.

“We have so many funny people, so many funny friends, there’s so many incredible personalities that I would love to highlight and put on stage,” Scott said. “I was like, ‘Well, this seems like a perfect thing — playing Blood on the Clocktower with friends on a stage, and have the fun of the audience being there.’”

Social deduction games like Among Us and Dungeons & Dragons have grown in popularity in recent years due to accessibility of the playstyle, which depends on conversation and personality.

“It already starts off in this very zany place, and I think that everybody gets to play a part, whether they are more reserved or they are making more ridiculous character decisions or more ridiculous accusations,” cast member Martha Neil said. “There’s space for every type of play style in a single playthrough, and there’s no wrong way to do it.”

Alongside the accessibility of social deduction games, the improv within the show lends a way for the audience to feel more connected to the mystery.

“(Improv) is so completely collaborative, and that’s maybe a little unique (compared) to other theater in that everybody’s working together and maybe carrying an even load of material that they’re performing on stage together,” Neil said. “It’s really nice to watch people who are completely abandoning this idea that they have to look cool. It’s freeing to watch, and it’s freeing to participate in.”

Under moody lighting and gothic decor, cast members used secret powers to deceive each other and reveal the roles of fellow villagers, resulting in hilarious twists and turns.

While Murder by Moonlight serves as a comedic show, it’s part of a continued push for third spaces for people to find connection with their community.

“We are really excited to talk to the community and to audience members before and after, and to keep that going,” producer and co-host Diego de los Reyes said. “We have connected with a couple of people and groups who run Blood on the Clocktower in town as a friend and say, ‘Hey, come to the show. Let’s meet up. Let’s talk about it.’”

At the end of the night, the “murderer” was caught, giving the win to the good team with cheers from the audience, and a promise to be back with another show.

“ This is a show that we believe and hope that it’s thoughtful, that it’s worth it,” de los Reyes said. “Honestly, if they leave this show saying, ‘Ooh, I really want to play that. I really want to do that with my friends,’ that’s a win.”

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