A dance of murder

MOSES LAKE — It’s not often that the words “ballet,” “interactive” and “murder mystery” appear together. 

“You actually have never seen it before,” said Shawn Cardwell, executive director of Columbia Basin Allied Arts, which will present Ballet Fantastique’s “Murder at the Ballet” Friday at the Wallenstien Theater. “This is a world premiere. They have found no evidence that anyone else has ever done something like this.”

“Murder at the Ballet” takes place on a dark and stormy night in London, where the Les Etoiles ballet company’s newest prima donna has been murdered. Almost any character could have done it: the director whose affair with the ballerina might have been exposed; the jealous and resentful understudy who believes she deserves the main role; the director’s jealous wife; and several others who all have a reason to do in the poor dancer. But there’s a twist. 

“About halfway through Act 2 there is going to be a little interlude, and the audience will get to get out their phones and vote right there and then,” said Isabelle Bloodgood, who plays detective Irene Poët. “It can be literally anyone, and the detective in the performance doesn't even know who's going to be picked that night.” 

Once the votes are tallied, the detective will hand the results to the chosen culprit, who then has to be the murderer for the night. This means the cast has to be prepared to go to one of half a dozen scripts on a moment’s notice. 

“It's a little bit different than a typical murder mystery, where the person's murdered right at the beginning, and then there's kind of flashbacks to kind of figure it out,” Bloodgood said. “In our version, the (murder) doesn't happen until the end of Act 1. So all of Act 1 the audience is going to see these interactions and get to see right there and then what motive each person might have for killing this person. And then in Act 2, there'll be a few more clues that are discovered by the detective, but at that point, they will have at least kind of have an idea of who they think might have done it.” 

Audiences who are familiar with traditional ballet will find Ballet Fantastique’s approach a little different, as the detective narrates the story in a voiceover and some of the dancers speak as well. 

“I think an audience member who has never seen dance before will really enjoy the show because they can follow along,” Bloodgood said. “They don't have to just sit there and be confused by no one talking on stage.” 

“Murder at the Ballet” featured an original score by Juan Luqui, who composed music for the TV shows “The Last of Us,” and “Liebes Kind,” as well as several movies and video games. 

This isn’t Ballet Fantastique’s first visit to Moses Lake; the Eugene, Oregon-based troupe presented “Sleepy Hollow” in 2022. “Murder at the Ballet” is brand-new; its first-ever performance was Thursday. 

“From the very first moment that I saw Ballet Fantastique practicing down in Eugene, I was just struck by how theatrical (their work) was,” Cardwell said. “Not only are they excellent dancers, but they make all of these stories and the genre of ballet feel really accessible and fun and exciting for everyone.” 

Because the performance is the day after Halloween, the audience is encouraged to come in costume, Cardwell said. Members of CBAA are invited to join the sponsors and advertisers before the show for a catered members-only party with hosted drinks, food and gifts. 

People who are hesitant to attend a ballet will find “Murder at the Ballet” a pleasant surprise, Bloodgood said. 

“This is so different than going to see ‘Swan Lake’ or ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ where you kind of fall asleep in Act 2,” she said. “You're definitely going to stay awake, you're going to enjoy it.” 

    The Prima Donna and about-to-be murder victim (Ashley Bontrager), left, dances with the Principal Male Dancer (Gustavo Ramirez) in Ballet Fantastique’s production of “Murder at the Ballet.” The ballet will take the stage Friday at the Wallenstien Theater in Moses Lake.
  

    Detective Irene Poët (Isabelle Bloodgood) takes a leap in Ballet Fantastique’s “Murder at the Ballet,” coming Friday to the Wallenstien Theater in Moses Lake.
  

    The jealous and resentful Understudy (Brooke Geffrey-Bowler) is just one of the possible culprits in “Murder at the Ballet,” which comes to Moses Lake on Friday. The audience will decide whether she or someone else is guilty.