Miranda Alexander

“I got him! I got him!” are the first words to break through Oconee Community Theatre and set James Reach’s Lunatics At Large into motion. The mystery comedy unfolds in the reception hall of the ancient Cutter mansion, within the Adirondacks of New York State. In the dark, four rather fascinating characters are introduced: Mr. Hyde, Priscilla, John, and Lady Macbeth. They gather around a body sprawled out on the floor and rant on about the victim’s “gallons and gallons of blood”. The faces of the seemingly bloodthirsty characters are obscured from view till the arrival of Don Cutter.

As the lights come up, we discover the dead body is not what the audience imagined; it is a mere dummy dressed in baggy clothes. Mr. Hyde’s appearance rings true to his name, he is dressed in dark Victorian garb and a black top hat. Priscilla, for all her talk of ripping out hearts displays a quite comical wardrobe choice: a glittery pink fairy costume. The other two characters share equally amusing outfits as well, such as goofy headdresses and mismatched gowns. The sight could only be described as pure comedy.

More background information is given as the opening act carries out. Don Cutter and his wife, Lucille, run a home for the mentally insane within the mansion with the assistance of the capable Dr. Janet. Don scolds the four mischievous inmates for being up past their curfew and has Dr. Janet escort them to their rooms. As the characters exit, Amos Burke creeps around, hastily searching through drawers and cabinets. Burke is the previous owner of the mansion and has some bad blood with the Cutters. So, it is needless to say, Don was surprised to catch him in his reception hall. Burke comes up with a rapid reply, he claims he feels remorse for his wrongs and wishes to make amends. Don accepts his apology right before his wife enters the room and faints at the sight of Burke. The shady character is left alone as Don tends to his wife, he takes advantage of what little time he has and goes back to his search. Suddenly, a single gunshot sounds and Burke collapses, shot by an unseen gunman. The noise has Don rushing into the room where Burke lies dying. With his final breaths, Burke urges Don not to let them take his money and murmurs something about a black box.

Confused and shocked, Don has his servant, Wing, call the police and help him carry the body to his study. Upon hearing the news of the murder, everyone in the mansion is unnerved. Especially Greg and Claire Stevens, a brother and sister who are temporarily staying with the Cutters due to their car breaking down. The siblings attempt to leave once they catch wind of Burke’s murder. However, they are stopped by Don when he insists no one can leave the residence, everyone is a suspect.

Inspector Britt finally arrives at the scene. With his lanky frame and thick Yankee accent, he is a far cry from Sherlock Holmes. In fact, his methods of deduction are flimsy and useless; it is only with the aid of mystery enthusiast Wing that he is able to uncover any leads. Before the inspector can even begin his investigation, he hopelessly falls under the charm of Mrs. Adair, the mother of the newest inmate, Elaine. Once he is willing to put his flirting aside, Inspector Britt starts to interview everyone within the mansion.

Don Cutter sheds light on some stimulating information concerning Burke and his wife, Lucille Cutter. The ownership of the mansion originally belonged to the late Amos Burke and he had run a house for the mentally ill as well. Things went sour for Burke when he tried to cheat former inmate, Lucille, out of her money. However, this is not the only secret to unravel. The Stevens siblings are not siblings at all, they are husband and wife. When questioned on the reason for lying about their relationship, the couple spills another surprising detail in their story. Greg Stevens used to work for Burke and his partner and received very little pay. Greg needed more money so he could marry Claire, so he stole a rather large amount from Burke.

Once Burke learned of this, he started to blackmail Greg and Claire, and the couple has been on the run ever since. So far, there appear to be three possible suspects for the murder: Lucille, Greg, and Claire. But what about the black box? Inmate Lady Macbeth informs the inspector she knows the location of the mysterious black box and leads him on a wild goose chase. It is in the next scene we learn the true whereabouts of the black box. Lady Macbeth, Mr. Hyde, Priscilla, and John are playing baseball with the box. The scene becomes even more amusing when Elaine enters, the inmates claim the box holds 11 million dollars and Elaine attempts to snatch it from them. Suddenly, they begin to grow suspicious of their new inmate. Mr. Hyde is convinced she is a spy and John refutes his claim, insisting that Elaine is an Indian. Outnumbered, Elaine is dragged away by the cackling inmates.

Elaine is still missing as the final scene approaches. Everyone is searching for her when a gunshot is fired. This brings the audience to an anxious pause, has there been another murder? The answer is revealed when Dr. Janet is carried into the reception room, blood gushing from her shoulder. Panic is palpable in the air, as the doctor is questioned and fussed over. Dr. Janet is unsure of the shooter’s identity. While that question lingers, another one is answered when Don manages to retrieve the black box from the inmates.

There is some much-needed comic relief when Don struggles to open the box and hands it to Wing who effortlessly removes the lid. The black box is loaded with money, a lot of money. It is at this moment a distraught Elaine rushes into the room, shouting about how the other inmates tried to scalp and boil her alive. While the others are distracted by her outburst, Wing makes note of Mrs. Adair’s unwavering gaze on the black box. After he mentions his observation to Don, Elaine breaks character and confesses she is an actress hired by Mrs. Adair to find the hidden money she’d heard about from a relative who had worked for Burke as a maid. Mrs. Adair becomes unhinged as she pulls out a small handgun and wildly waves it around. But she is greatly outnumbered, and the firearm is removed from her grasp. Just as the audience begins to think the murderer is the greedy Mrs. Adair there is yet another plot twist. The bleeding and weeping Dr. Janet confesses to the murder. When Burke had been arrested for his crime against Lucille, his partner, the husband of Dr. Janet took his life out of guilt. She shot Burke as an act of vengeance and attempted to follow in her husband’s footsteps of suicide but failed.

Lunatics At Large is a must-see for anyone who loves a good whodunit. It will keep you on the edge of your seat in anticipation.  Ultimately, it is a rather twisty and complicated plot but it is fair to say the actors of the Oconee Community Theatre pulled it off rather well.