Script Spotlight: Richly Poisoned - A Comedy in Two Acts by Thomas Nelson

Who is killing the guests at Lewyn Von Lugwig’s lavish dinner party? That’s the driving question in this silly farce for 18 actors playing 18 ridiculous characters in Thomas Nelson’s new play “Richly Poisoned.” Written to be as much fun for the people on stage as those in the audience, this silly mystery is a perfect option for high school, college, or community theater groups looking for a full-length play for a big cast with varying levels of experience and talent.

Thomas, who also acts in and directs plays, wrote this one for his old high school drama department when he couldn’t help them find a good murder mystery script to fit their group. Seeing the play come to life and the audience respond to his silly story was a blast for Thomas, who co-owns and helps run the Big Blue Theatre [bigbluetheatre.org] in Woodbury, Minnesota, with a bunch of friends who are as passionate about telling stories on stage as he is.

Thomas has gone all-in on farces in recent years. One definition of a farce is a “comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.” That’s a pretty good description of “Richly Poisoned,” along with some of Thomas’s favorite plays: “Noises Off” by Michael Frayn and “Arsenic and Old Lace” by Joseph Kesselring, along with the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” He is currently acting in another farce called “Puffs” by Matt Cox.

Much of the cast in “Richly Poisoned” dies suddenly after consuming a sneaky poison. We asked Thomas for some advice for actors called on to play dead on stage while the play goes on around them.

“Playing dead is an art, and I am absolutely terrible at it. I always develop an itch on my face or die in a slightly uncomfortable position. Then I have to do my best not to sneeze or cough for however long I am dead,” Thomas told us.

“Some actors in the premiere [of “Richly Poisoned”] would be covered with a sheet after their death, which made it easier to wait for their exits. I’d recommend mentioning this blanket method to your director. At the least, try to die facing away from the audience so they can’t see your face twitching if your nose starts to itch!”

Playwrights Recommend: In addition to farces for big casts, Thomas describes himself as a fan of scripts that are short and sweet, as well as two-person shows. He recommends Rebecca Wimmer’s ten-minute script “The Type Writer” on Scriptmore.