Mystery and wit on the Linfield stage

Janet Gupton photo##Lucy Ingham as Sorel Bennett and Dominic Thompson as Walter Pearce rehearse a scene in “Death by Design” at Linfield University, opening this week.

Audiences will put on their detective gumshoes to investigate the mysterious happenings at Cookham Manor in “Death by Design,” opening this week at Linfield Theater.

According to director Janet Gupton, the play combines the wit of Noel Coward with the plotlines of an Agatha Christie mystery to solve what has happened to politician Walter Pearce when he visits famed playwright Edward Bennett and his overly dramatic wife, the renowned actress Sorel Bennett, at their country manor. Suspense awaits via a collection of other zany characters and an evening of intrigue and comedy. The script is loaded with fun theatrical references inviting the audience to spot all the “Easter eggs.”

The show continues Nov. 15 and 16, and Nov. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. in Marshall Theatre in Ford Hall, part of the Lacroute Art Series.

New York City–based playwright Rob Urbinati will be in residence the first week of performances to work with the production team, visit classes, and join a post–show discussion. Prior to arriving on campus, Urbinati conducted an online 10–minute playwriting workshop for aspiring Linfield student playwrights.

Urbinati’s plays cover an array of genres and subject matter. Other plays include “Mama’s Boy,” which focuses on the perplexing relationship between alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and his mother Marguerite Oswald, and “Karaoke Night at the Suicide Shack,” which combines Kurt Cobain, Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath and other notable personalities who took their own lives to discuss, argue and sing about their lives. In 2011, Linfield College commissioned Urbinati in 2011 to write a play about implicit biases on a small college campus. From this commission, “UMW: University of Mostly Whites” was developed, partially based on interviews Urbinati conducted with Linfield students. It premiered at Linfield in 2013.

The “Death by Design” cast includes Andrew Beauchamp, Colin Bellairs, Eleanor Black, Lucy Ingham, Julia Hutchison, Cameron Ramirez, Aaron Smith and Dominic Thompson.

Wine and light refreshments will be served at a post-performance reception on Nov. 14 with Urbinati and the cast, a celebration of the start of Linfield Theatre’s 104th season of live theatre.

Urbinati will discuss “The Playwright’s Inspiration” after the show on Nov. 15. The discussion is free but tickets are required to attend the performance.

Tickets are $12 or $10 for seniors (62 and over); and $8 for students 13 and over. Tickets are on sale now online and the box office will open Nov. 12. Seating is reserved; call 503-883-2292 for more information. The play is recommended for ages 13 and older.