Murder's in the Heir: an Audience Interactive Murder Mystery-Comedy

by Billy St. John

Turn the game Clue into a play and you have the masterfully entertaining Murder’s in the Heir!' Almost every character in this hilarious mystery has the weapon, opportunity and motive to commit the unseen murder. And it’s up to your audience to decide who actually did it! Each of the heirs to the tyrannical billionaire Simon Starkweather has the means and the motive to do away with him. Starkweather gathers his family and employees to announce the contents of his will. His lawyer, Lois van Zandt, reveals that he has bequeathed vast fortunes to his befuddled niece Fiona, her playboy son Jordan, his great-niece Paula (a Southern belle) and his grandson Simon III, as well as to his many servants. Then Lois delivers the bombshell! Within hours this will becomes invalid. Of course, the rejected heirs are not pleased, so it’s not surprising when they roam the old mansion carrying such items as an ax, a gun and poison. Predictably, the lights go out, and Simon is discovered murdered. Simon III (played by the same actor who plays the elderly Simon) is determined to find his grandfather’s killer, with the help of detective Mike Davis. The play’s unique ending, utilizing secret ballots gathered at intermission from the audience, determines the killer in this Billy St. John maze of murder.

Genres: Plays

74 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[deranged clown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was in this as Mike the audience loved it and thought it was hilarious but I thought it was dumb and that the comedy sucked and also I didn't like it bcs it has no emotional plot like I had the second most or most lines and my character had no emotional journey explicitly in the text at all NONE of the characters do. the closest thing to emotion in the play is the 'romance' which I do not think was well written at all (not that I'd know or anything) it was kinda like will they won't they except no one cares because the boy is annoying and just wants her money or wants her to kill mr starkweather except maybe he actually likes her or he doesn't but yeah I thought it was dumb. Also I will admit my own faults, I have an awkward speech pattern, so it might not be completely the writer's fault but most of the dialogue was just really clunky, stilted and flat. There WERE a few quirky moments that I liked but most of it was just ugh and it was so much TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER LIKE WTF???? and also too much exposition of things that the audience literally knows like ' I was (searching for a cure) not a cure for my various ailments but a cure for dying' (probably slight paraphrase) like bruh do you think your audience is so dumb they wouldn't have assumed you meant for ailments? you didn't need to say that first part, lower your word count omg. Nobody cares if the detective was searching for a doctor for six months. I would say it's the hardest thing I've had to act because of how repetitive and stiff most of the dialogue was and how boring and pointless the plot was. Lois was definitely a gaslighting gatekeeping girlboss tho love her. I actually thought the mom was a little bit funny. Rufus was not funny at all. There are no meaningful or good relationships in this play, platonic or romantic. It does not have any 'point' or moral... not that all stories need to have one so I guess this is definitely about my own taste but like why would you write something that means nothing? Be creative........ yeah idk. Maybe I just don't get it?

[Eva Waters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in a production of this play as Fiona, I think that most of the play had ok writing. It was the last scene of the play where the murderer was revealed that dropped the whole play down. The "killer's lines" are clunky and poorly writen.

Examples:
"He was sitting in his wheelchair, still awake. I went to him, gripped the handles of his wheelchair and leaned right down into his face."

Why does wheelchair need to be said twice?!

"I thought a man that cruel doesn't deserve to live." A few lines later... "I told him he doesn't deserve to live"

It's like they were careful and graceful in the first 90%, then they just rushed through writing the last 10%.

Also, the killers monologue was so long. It takes all of the energy and build up for nothing.

Lastly, there was no personalization or nuance to any of the possible options. All 9 people that are possibly the killer have the same lines whether they are smart and cunning, like Jordan, or dumb like Rufus.

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My high school put on this play last year, and I played the role of Mrs. Trent. It was unique, funny, and well-written. It was a joy to be a part of, and I have heard that it was also a joy to watch. Five stars!!!

[Meagan Louviere · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be directing this show at my local community theatre in October. I'm so excited!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun show for a high school performance. Lots of good characters, fun dialogue and an interesting plot. The audience interaction adds a challenging element. Really enjoyed reading this and am excited to produce it.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play was extremely entertaining. I love interactive plays! It was also an amazing experience to be a part of putting on and performing this play.

[albertoosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increíble obra de teatro. Max (Minerva) , fue uno de mis personajes favoritos y el que más fuerza me ha dado de todos los que me ha tocado representar.
En mi corazón.