Plan to see the Elizabethtown Homeschool Drama Program's fall play and be ready for an entertaining murder mystery.

"If you love the mystery shows of the past, you'll truly enjoy this show," said director Ginger Wayde. "It's a smash-up of Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and more. All the fun, stereotypical characters from detective shows of the past are in 'The Crimson House Murder.'"

"The Crimson House Murder" will be performed at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, and at 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, at Hope Community Church, 1806 Harrisburg Ave., Mount Joy.

The play takes place at Crimson House, a rundown hotel where guests are charged exorbitant rates for less-than-stellar service. When a body is found in the sitting room and a beautiful secretary turns up dead, Hercules Porridge, a bumbling detective known as "Junior," must unravel the mystery. The suspect list is full of oddballs: a reclusive mystery novelist, a quirky young man dressed like a jungle explorer and a peculiar actress who's always in black. Then there's Colonel Chutney, the eccentric neighbor who insists he's in 1880s India, and Jeeves, the absent-minded butler. Packed with laughs, this murder mystery farce pokes fun at the classic private eye tales of the past.

The production will feature students in grades seven through 12. The Elizabethtown Homeschool Drama Program is part of the Life Enrichment Center (LEC) homeschool co-op in Mount Joy.

"LEC is a wonderful homeschooling community," Ginger shared. "Not only does it give kids a chance to gather with others in a group learning environment, it also gives moms a much-needed opportunity to connect with other moms to find support and encouragement on their homeschooling journeys. It's a great place to forge lifetime friendships for kids and moms." She added that this performance will feature six seniors: Celene Gingrich, Nikolas Grab, Austin Kreider, Jonathan McNally, Josh Mummau and Molly Wayde.

Ginger noted that attending the show will be an interactive experience for audiences as people try to figure out the mystery before it's revealed on stage. "We have a lot of fun ways for the audience to participate this year, ranging from guessing who the murderer is to owning their own show T-shirt to winning special (giveaway) items related to the show," she explained. "It's an affordable family-friendly night out at the theater, with no tickets necessary. Our faithful fans look forward to the drama club's performances every year. Not only do co-op families attend, but local community members come and make sure to mark the date on their calendars. We love our audience and look forward to performing some quality entertainment for you."

Preparing to present the play has provided a fun but challenging opportunity for the cast members, Ginger said.

"The challenge in this type of farce is the pacing," she remarked. "There's always action on the stage. Also, characters need to master staying in character, especially during the reveal scene, when the detective works out who the guilty party really is. How would one act nervous as their particular character? What would they do or say? How would they respond to being accused? It gives the students a great opportunity to delve into the personality of their particular character."

Ginger hopes community members will come out for the show to enjoy the comedy on stage and witness the hard work of the students.

"We provide free performances because we know how expensive it is to take your family to the theater," she said. "My desire is always to provide family-friendly, affordable theater to the community. We do sell concessions and cast shout-outs where you can honor cast members with treats and messages. We gratefully accept donations, too."

To learn more about the co-op, visit http://www.homeschool-life.com/PA/lec or contact Jess Tymoczko at jesstymoczko@gmail.com.