The mystery of the evening begins before theatre goers are settled in their seats. Bright  yellow crime scene tape, outlines of slain bodies, and every-which-way foot prints in the Ridge PAC lobby have audience members wondering, "What is going on here?"

The "WhoDunnit" musical atmosphere is set before the curtain goes up!

Last night's performance of "Curtains" was cleverly conceived, directed and executed by Ridge High students who entertained with song, dance and surprisingly well done comic timing.  Director and Choreographer Sean Baldwin selected "Curtains" precisely because of his able talent pool at Ridge High. As noted in his message in the program, "Curtains" offers tremendous opportunities for young actors to flex their comic muscles."

With the enthusiastic guidance and support from faculty members, over 60 students participated as either principals, chorus members, staff, stagehands and production crew to make "Curtains" a reality. The show opened on Friday, March 5th and will have its final performance Sunday, March 7th at a 2:00 p.m. matinee.

The original "Curtains" first opened on Broadway in 2007. While not as widely known as other shows, it does offer more comedy than many traditional musicals. Curtains is also somewhat unique in that it is a show, "Robbin Hood, A New Musical of the Old West," within a show, "Curtains." It is the story of Boston Detective Frank Cioffi's efforts to solve a murder on the set of "Robbin Hood," complicated by Frank's own love of the theatre and his growing interest in one of the cast members (could she be a murder suspect?).

While the interplay between the "two shows" could be confusing, the sets (creative yet unobtrusive), costumes (conservative 1950s for "Curtains" and Western-wear for "Robbin Hood") and lighting (effective in ever changing angles) all work to keep the audience clear on whether they are watching a "Curtains" number or a "Robbin Hood" number. Of course sometimes the two mingle, but that is part of the fun.

Several of the best numbers occur in Act I. Letting all cast numbers know that the "show must go on," Carmen, played by Kathleen Pine, leads the entire company in a audience captivating "Show People."  Directly following is "Coffee Shop Nights," performed by Jeff O'Donnell as Frank Cioffi, and shortly after that, "I Miss the Music," my personal favorite, performed by Nicholas Siccone as Aaron Fox, "Robbin Hood's" composer. 

Jeff O'Donnell plays Detective Frank Cioffi with an uncanny Kennedyesque accent. Jeff is entirely comfortable in his role, and reminds one of a young Robert Preston (Music Man) when he cavorts with the rest of the cast through the finale, a reprise of "A Tough Act to Follow." Other memorable cast performances include Lauren Morra as Georgia Kendricks - counterpoint to Aaron Fox, Emily Cleary, as Nicki Harris -  the love interest of Detective Frank Cioffi,  and Christian Fentress, who plays Bobby Pepper with such nuance and affectation that the audience can not help but laugh at some of his deadpan expressions, comments and gestures.

The cast is accompanied by a live orchestra hidden in the orchestra pit and led by Dan Zugale. What was fun here was the interplay between the cast members on stage and the orchestra leader, cast as Sasha, reminding the audience again that this is a show within a show.

In contrast to many typical dance chorus ensembles, each member of this dance chorus was a character in his/her own right with individual personalities that enhanced the performance.

As Director Baldwin remarked in a previous interview, "Curtains is a big show." The students at Ridge High performed it admirably, leading the audience on the journey to figure out the "Whodunnit!" Even as we walked through the parking lot after the performance, I overheard two young boys discussing it with their Dad,"I know what happened, Dad, but I thought the other guy did it!"