Cadott Drama Club presents a killer party virtually

It’s going to be a heck of a party in Cadott, April 23-25 – a killer one! Cadott High School choir director Terra Larsen and the Drama Club, are offering the all virtual school musical for the public’s enjoyment.

Since January, the students have acted, filmed and edited footage, and now, the musical is finally ready to premiere.

“We are very excited to promote this, as the kids have been working themselves to the bone to make this musical happen,” said Cadott High School art instructor Dalan Hartmann.

A Killer Party: A Murder Mystery Musical is a digital remotely performed musical created in 2020, during the COVID- 19 pandemic. MTI’s licensable version of this online show is a 90-minute, single piece, designed to be pre-recorded and edited together for a streaming production shown on the showtix4u.com platform.

Cadott’s version of the show will be streamed Friday, April, 23, and Saturday, April 24, each at 7 p.m., and Sunday, April 25, at 2 p.m.

With the closure of all Broadway musicals in New York, A Killer Party was originally made as a collaboration between more than 40 Broadway professionals, all working together remotely, bringing together actors and musicians, writers and creatives, press agents, backstage personnel, and postproduction editors and mixers. This musical was created to provide some laughter and levity in this time when it is needed the most, and the Cadott Drama Department hopes to do the same for their community.

While it wasn’t what anyone would wish to do, the students jumped in head first, despite having to experiment with sound and editing difficulties. Quarantines that popped up were also an unexpected plot hole, but one the cast maneuvered around, and performed through with humor and grace.

The hilarious and irreverent send-up of the classic Murder Mystery features an all-star creative team that includes music by Jason Howland ( Little Women), lyrics by Nathan Tysen ( The Burnt Part Boys), and a book by the illustrious Kait Kerrigan and Rachel Axler.

When Varthur McArthur (Colt Fox), the artistic director of a failing theater in Duluth, invites his troupe of disgruntled actors and collaborators to the first read of an “immersive murder mystery dinner party,” no one knew that he would be the victim. Or did they?

Enter eager, determined and untested Detective Case (Alissa Bejin). After sequestering the guests into separate rooms (because, you know, social-distancing), she gets down to finding out whodunnit, uncovering secret affairs, life-long grudges, backstage drama, and a lot of musical theater song and dance.

Sifting through lies and red herrings, and a truly baffling murder mystery script left by the deceased, Case vows to find the truth and secure her future as a great detective.

Will you discover the truth or become the next victim?

The public can find out and see their local students in a way they’ve never seen them before, by purchasing tickets for the event at tinyurl.com/killerparty2021.