Quote of the Day: The Game’s afoot. attributed to both Shakespeare and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Seems appropriate for the marvelous murder mystery game played in The Reunion by Tyler Michaels King and Tyler Mills, produced by Trademark Theater, playing at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN through October 12, 2024. 

Chris Hayhurst as Peter in The Reunion by Trademark Theater at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN thru 10/12/24. Picture courtesy of Trademark Theater

The Reunion is a clever, fast-paced game of whodunnit. Sam (Michael Terrell Brown) has invited some of his high school classmates to his house for a reunion and murder-mystery game night. He solicits his former classmate Peter (Chris Hayhurst) to prepare his newly acquired fancy home into an old manor house, setting up cameras, clues, and other elements of a night of mystery and intrigue. Classmates enter one by and slowly their pasts are revealed, some secrets emerge, and suspicion grows as the game takes a very real turn.

Elizabeth, or Liz (Emma Schuld) shows up early, filled with righteous indignation for the former owner of the manor, who allegedly invented the plastic straw, which is killing turtles! She would do anything to save Mother Earth. Clive (MJ Matheson) and his twin sister Laura (Janely Rodriguez) come to the reunion together. In fact, they’ve been spending most of their time together since Clive lost his job at the library. He now drives for Uber Eats and sleeps on Laura’s couch. His high school crush Susan (Katy Kessler) arrives with her husband Richard (Sasha Andreev). Richard is the only outsider of the group, not having grown up with them. Susan and Richard have a young son who is home with the nanny. 

Cast of The Reunion by Trademark Theater at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN thru 10/12/24. Picture courtesy of Trademark Theater

The setup for this play is excellent. You have an Agatha Christie-esque reason to bring the characters together. You put them in an isolated environment where no one is allowed to leave. You plan an elaborate game that gives them clues, but also confuses the players, which gives opportunity for something more sinister to happen than a fake murder. At times the former classmates, and the audience, aren’t sure if they’re still playing the game or if the actions and words are for real. Parts of the play are set up like an escape room, and naturally the characters get separated, paired off, and suspicions arise even as they’re trying to puzzle the mystery together. As with any good mystery, all the characters have secrets and hidden, or not so hidden, motivations. They have a past. Their relationships are complex, and they all have something to gain or lose from this mysterious night together.

MJ Matheson as Clive and Janely Rodriguez as Laura in The Reunion by Trademark Theater at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN thru 10/12/24. Picture courtesy of Trademark Theater

I attended this performance with my favorite theater buddy Joanna, and we loved it. We kept talking about the characters, plot, and twisty ending over dinner and on our drive home. What fun this show must have been to develop, especially with this uber-talented cast. I am fascinated by the creative process and intentionally chose a performance with a discussion after the show. Both playwrights and all but one of the actors joined the discussion. People asked great questions. I asked, “At what point did you stop making changes and say ‘this is the script’ that you used?” The answer was – up until opening night, with a few tweaks even as the show is in production. It’s like any work of art, you never stop trying to perfect it. Tyler Michaels King said that he’s been working on this script, off and on, for about two and a half years. His improv group helped develop the characters and give them a backstory, and they’ve workshopped the script a few times, as well. This is the premiere production, and as they’re sharing it with audiences, they’re hearing what works and doesn’t, and fine-tuning the script even more.

Cast of The Reunion by Trademark Theater at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN thru 10/12/24. Picture courtesy of Trademark Theater

If you like watching new plays, especially murder mysteries with plenty of twists, quirky characters, escape rooms, and puzzles to solve, this show is for you. The gorgeous and cleverly movable set was designed by Sarah Bahr, who also designed the costumes. Lighting by Tony Stoeri. Sound design by Dan Dukich, and Technical Director is Zeb Hults. Co-creators and directors are Tyler Michaels King and Tyler Mills.

You can see The Reunion at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN through October 12, 2024. Go to Trademark Theater website for tickets and showtimes. 

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: Who would you invite to a class reunion, who would also be game for a murder mystery party?