Watch out, Prince Rupert — Henry Worthington is back, along with a few other returning characters in this year’s rendition of the murder mystery show and fundraiser. The seventh annual production entitled “Snakes Alive II: Double Jeopardy” will see some of last year’s characters and the addition of two new ones.
The much-anticipated show picks up where “Snakes Alive I” left off. Without revealing too much, writers Donna Russell and Kathy Young said that Henry Worthington, who was unmasked as the murderer last year, is “out and on the loose” after a jury finds him — to everyone’s surprise — innocent.
The writers said they had to reacquaint themselves with their characters since the original show was written years before it took to the Association des francophones et francophiles du Nord-Ouest (AFFNO) fundraiser event.
The two friends love a good murder mystery, so decided to write their own and inject it with personal humour. The sequel gave Russell and Young the opportunity to develop the characters more, figure out their motives, and how the two new characters know everyone.
“Last year it was so interesting to see how the actors portrayed the characters. It was bang on to our vision, and that made it really fun for us … Kudos to the actors because they really embraced the quirkiness and the humour,” said Russell. “Yeah,” said Young, “they took those parts and ran with it.”
Hearing the audience laugh along was “like your inner expression coming out,” Russell said.
The two writers will be in the audience again this year. “We’ve enjoyed it every year,” Russell added, “and it’s for a good cause. My son was in French immersion in school, so I feel strongly that it’s great to support the second official language of Canada.”
As for Worthington, Russell said, “We’re taking him to darker places this year … He’s just not a nice guy.”
Watch the mystery unfold at the Crest Hotel at 7 p.m., Oct. 14.
Tickets aren’t available at the door, so purchase them in advance for $35 from Cook’s Jewellers and the AFFNO office at Hecate Strait Employment.
