Funeral!
by Eve Armstrong
Betty-Jo Casper, of Betty-Jo's Funeral Parlor, caters the mourning of Adolfo Heliodoro Mendoza, who you may have heard died under somewhat mysterious circumstances in his cushy Upper West Side apartment. The funereal circumstances grow still more mysterious after the coffin lid is opened - and found to be empty!

Did the morgue make a ghastly mistake? Or did someone here steal the corpse? Officer Frederick Reinrassig is certain that the thief is among the mourners, and indeed the ceremony is ripe with suspects. Father Rabinowitz, who doesn't seem to act much like a traditional Catholic Priest. Claire Easterly, who is morbidly fascinated by death and was envious of Adolfo's pristine complexion - as if the Sun never shone on it. Jared Callaghan, who's here to collect the $2000 Adolfo still owed him from that late-night poker game. Claude L'Ecureuil, who worked with Adolfo at a blood bank and was always a bit put-off that Adolfo would never join the others for lunch. And Abigail ...

Well, Ms. Abigail has her own ideas regarding Adolfo's disappearance. After all, listen to the evidence: The man had pristine skin as if always hidden from the Sun. He never ate or drank with his co-workers. He worked at a blood bank. And his newspaper obituary displayed no photograph of him.

So did someone take the corpse from its coffin? Or ... did the corpse climb out? Is Adolfo's body being hidden somewhere in Betty-Jo's parlor, by a vengeful thief? Or ... is it roaming New York City, feasting upon the blood of the living?

Audience members are fellow mourners and have ample opportunity to participate in the action: interacting with and questioning the suspects, and even giving eulogies in Adolfo's memory, if they care to.

For info, please email eve@realityasidetheatre.com