Laughing our pants off

Well, folks, we've finally made it through our final dress rehearsal. All we need now is an audience for our 2011 Victorian Christmas Feast. I, for one, cannot wait. When I was putting on my tux before tonight's rehearsal I realized that the last time I put on my fake diamond studs was two years ago at a Victorian Christmas Feast at the Beechwood Mansion. It's strange how muscle memory stays with you. As soon as I got the first stud through the button hole I felt this odd wave of nostalgia. I can remember the first time I ever wore studs and cufflinks. I had no idea what I was doing, and it took forever. This time, though, it felt like second nature. How odd that a simple gesture or movement can spark so many fond memories of waltzing through Mrs. Astor's grand Newport Ballroom. Even though we're no longer at Beechwood, the beauty and Victorian elegance of the Griswold House will make for a fine feast.

How else do I know this will be a great feast? During our rehearsal tonight as we danced the opening number I noticed that Katherine was laughing hysterically. I looked around to see why, and Nikki was tripping all over her skirt that was falling around her ankles. Even Victorians have trouble being classy.

Happy Christmas!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting silly...

Happy St. Nicholas' Day 1891, y'all! The Marley Bridges Theatre gang were all in Christmas form last night as we had our last rehearsal before moving into more intense dress/tech rehearsals for our annual Victorian Christmas Feast. Before rehearsal began several of the ladies were working on Christmas Tree centerpieces for the tables. The scene was like something out of one of those old Norman Rockwell paintings. A quaint scene of women sipping tea, eating cookies, laughing, and making Christmas decorations. Cheesy? Sure, but we love Christmas here.

I was so inspired by the scene that I put on my favorite Christmas album of all time: John Denver and the Muppets, A Christmas Together. It made me smile. A lot. My favorite part is when Miss Piggy sings "Christmas is Coming the goose is getting fat (Ugh!)" That big piggy "Ugh" cracks me up every time.

And speaking of Muppets, have you seen their new movie yet? The company members of the Marley Bridges Theatre Company (who have seen it) unanimously agree that it is a great movie. Patrick liked it even better the second time around. Let's face it: our sense of humor is much like the Muppets'. We're odd, fun-loving, and rarely mean. We also have our tender moments. Remember when Piggy hired that real priest to do the wedding scene in "The Muppets Take Manhattan"? That was simultaneously hilarious and sweet. I think that that's the kind of humor we need today. So many comedians make a living ridiculing people or belittling groups. I like to think that Muppetesque humor is what the world needs. But then again, this comes from a guy that dresses like a pirate in a murder mystery one day and sings English Christmas Carols about the birth of Christ the next.

Happy Christmas!

Making Christmas, Making Christmas, Don't Sue Us, Tim Burton

What! Two posts in one day. This blog is outta control. (Or someone is bored.)

Katherine is getting some of our beautiful decorations ready for the Victorian Christmas Feast. When celebrating St. Nicholas' Day 1891-Style, you gotta be classy.

Charles loves scaring and scarring children with his puppets. The servants are preparing a fun romp through Clement Moore's classic poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas"

Make sure you tell your friends, and don't miss Newport's classiest Victorian Christmas shin-dig.

C.R.I.M.E. Doesn't Pay--Believe Me, We're Trying

Welcome to the first blog post for Newport Murder Mystery. Why do we have a blog? Because all the cool kids are doing it! Why does anyone do anything? To keep up with the Jonses, of course. It seems like all our favorite theatres have a blog: The Jane Pickens, The Firehouse Theatre, The Second City...even Crazy Knitting Ladies have blogs. If we want to keep up in this fast-paced techo-centric world, we need a blog, too.

So, what can you expect to read on this state-of-the-art, high tech, super trendy blog? That's the catch. You never know. Of course, we'll keep you updated on our current events (like "The Art of the Masquerade" playing at the Newport Art Museum), but we'll also give you a peek into the creative (read insane) minds that bring you C.reative R.ole-Playing I.nteractive M.ystery E.xperiences. (Did you catch that nifty word-play there? It spells out CRIME. You see that, right? If you don't you probably won't do too well solving our mysteries, but you might have fun anyway, so come on down!)

So stay tuned, log in, check back often for fun posts, performance dates, and cooky Victorian ads like this:

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