n Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, the Toll Gate Drama Club presented this year’s production, the comedy murder mystery The Alibis. The play follows Casey Neptune, a famous detective, and her sidekick, Warwick—the victim’s butler—as they attempt to solve the murder of an eccentric billionaire. As the story unfolds, the alibis of six different suspects are revealed, each exposing a crime of its own. The play keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, and the unexpected ending leaves them surprised.
This year’s play was a departure from the types of shows the drama club had staged in previous years. Having traditionally performed musicals and classic plays, the choice of The Alibis, a relatively newer play, stood out among past productions. Both the club’s supporters and its own members were unsure of what to expect. However, the audience was pleasantly surprised by the performance.
The play opens with the six suspects, the detective, and her trusty sidekick gathered in the living room, eyeing each other with suspicion. Casey informs them of the murder, and each suspect is horrified at the thought of being accused. At first, they all refuse to provide an alibi, only deepening the detective’s suspicions and determination to solve the case. As each alibi is revealed, the audience discovers that every suspect has committed a crime of their own.
The first suspect is Clyde Bartlett, played by Efraim Gonzalez. Clyde is a notorious thief, capable of stealing nearly anything—except when he’s deprived of sweets. His weakness forces him to attempt to steal candy from a child, but the child proves to be an unexpectedly difficult target. Ultimately, Clyde’s attempt to rob J. Leslie Arlington is thwarted due to his distaste for the only sweets available at the time: Good ‘n Plenties.
Next, we meet Davina Arlington, an actress and the sister of the late billionaire. At the time of the murder, Davina was engaged in a different crime—breaking and entering—making it impossible for her to have killed her brother. She and her daughter, Patricia, were attempting to steal a priceless sled from J. Leslie when Davina made a shocking realization about her past. This revelation ultimately led her to abandon the theft altogether.
The third suspect is Quinn, the grandniece of the deceased billionaire. Quinn appears to be the most normal of the six suspects—until she confesses to committing hamster murder. In an attempt to give her daughter, Rose, the perfect birthday gift, Quinn bought a hamster. However, due to her father’s obsession with ice cream sandwiches, a mix-up of paper bags resulted in the unfortunate fate of a frozen hamster. With Quinn’s alibi revealed, the intermission began, giving the audience an opportunity to purchase snacks while the cast took a well-deserved 15-minute break.
After intermission, the play continued with the alibi of Sparky Randall, the shady lawyer of the late J. Leslie. Sparky confessed that his corporation had been poisoning badgers. His troubles worsened when his lazy assistant, who despised work, got him into even deeper trouble. Adding to his misfortune, Sparky, who is lactose intolerant, inadvertently poisoned himself with dairy while attempting to poison activists who had caught onto his badger-poisoning schemes.
The next suspect is Vivian Strict, a scholar and outspoken critic of J. Leslie Arlington. Known for condemning television as detrimental to society, Vivian shockingly reveals her secret obsession with Arlington’s trashy reality TV show. To avoid being caught watching it, she had spent years sneaking into her neighbor’s home or peering through her window. On the night of the murder, she took things a step further—kidnapping her neighbor, Marina, so they could watch the show’s season finale together. Despite the bizarre circumstances, Vivian and Marina bonded over their shared love for the show.
Finally, the last suspect is Edmond Ridinghorn III, Arlington’s self-proclaimed nemesis and would-be murderer. Edmond desperately wanted to kill J. Leslie, but his plans were derailed when his arms dealer, getaway driver, and butler were all so horrified by a grotesque mole on his neck that they refused to help him. Because of this unexpected delay, Edmond was unable to reach Arlington in time to commit the murder, proving his innocence.
With all the alibis revealed, the detective and her sidekick gather the suspects once more to announce the murderer’s identity. However, to Casey Neptune’s surprise, she realizes she has no idea who the killer is. Just as she expresses her confusion, something shocking happens—J. Leslie Arlington walks into the room, alive and well! It turns out he was never dead. His elaborate plan was designed to test the suspects, hoping to recruit them into his crime family—a twisted birthday wish. To bring them all together, he proposes they play The Most Dangerous Game, with Detective Neptune as their target—a truly unexpected and chilling ending.
The Alibis was a wonderful production and the audience was kept entertained throughout the entire show. This production could not have been possible without a few wonderful people. Thank you to Ms. Testa, our director who was there to guide us through the entire rehearsal process and taught us all that we know. Thank you to Mrs. Netcoh, who was there to help us with our every concern and was a calm presence which we needed throughout the production. Thank you to our Student Director, Rebecca Farias for making sure the cast remembered their lines. Thank you to our wonderful cast, Caroline Polo, Kenny Massey, Rebecca Farias, Shay Lukenbill, Efraim Gonzalez Collazo, Layah Murray, Angela Baldassi, Kylie Harnois, Jailah Motulski, Kayden Brown, Blaze Day-Reyes, Gianna Gioffreda, Victoria Gedney, Riley Baxter, Liam Harnois, Sam Barr, Kayla Kipphut, Madison DeBlois, Kashi Truong Tran, Jonah Buccheri, Isla Sullivan, Abigail Adoian and Daphne Cardillo, for bringing our show to life. Thank you to our Stage Manager, Lena Butera for making the set for this production possible. Thank you to our wonderful backstage people, Ellie Calcagni, Sam Spooner, Mackenzie Anderson, Grace Marchand, Lianna Cowan, Erik Horsch, Bryanna Cruse, Kyleigh LeTellier, Maddy Murray, Bailey Hidalgo Stafford, Cali Hidalgo Stafford, Alexa Lautieri, Estherangelica Santana, Syesha Enos, and Harrison Hun, without backstage we would not have a show. Thank you to our amazing audience for supporting our production and making our journey worthwhile, we put on this show for your enjoyment.
And so the curtain closes, as Shakespeare once said: “Good night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.”
