This month the Alameda High School (AHS) Drama Department will be showcasing its action-packed production of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 by John Bishop, at the Fred L. Chacon Little Theatre. Performances are to be held between the end of the spooky season and the beginning of the joy-filled, family holiday rush. This is the perfect time for a play such as this, which encapsulates all of the eerie themes of a good mystery, while simultaneously yielding uproarious comedy and clever satire to usher in the winter holiday cheer. Despite its name, the show is indeed a play, and its musical affiliations pertain only to the theatrical premise of the story.

The story follows an eccentric group of showmen and women who are invited to the home of the wealthy Elsa Von Grossenknueten. After their recent Broadway production closed due to the macabre atrocities of the Stage Door Slasher, a violent killer who executed three chorus girls, the creative team seeks a cast and funding for their new musical. Suddenly, the party is shocked by a real murder under their very noses and soon mayhem and panic run through the many hidden passages and secret tunnels in Grossenknueten’s mansion.

Director Anneka Fagundes pulled out all the stops to create a period-accurate set and costumes with the help of her technical director and costume designer. The newly built set is intricately designed and creates the perfect conditions for a show with as many twists and surprises as this one.

The production required actors to fully extend themselves and their talents, whether it be by memorizing pages of lines or speaking in foreign accents.

“I perfected my Scottish accent [but] the Irish accent is rather different,” said AHS junior Julian Chea, who plays an Irish tenor in the production. “I’m really into accents and I like doing voices, so it’s a good fit for me.”

AHS junior Bailey Buckingham reflected on the challenges of the school year and how coming to the theater to rehearse and be with her castmates has helped her feel part of something bigger. Excited to take on a leading role this year, Buckingham expresses how the show truly succeeds at providing entertainment.

“The characters are really fun, and the verbal comedy and physical comedy is really fun to watch,” said Buckingham.

While actors like Buckingham have been AHS drama students since their freshman year, others found their way to the stage later on in their high school years, as senior Henry Forder can attest. Despite the wholly new experience, Forder finds that he can relate remarkably well to his character, Eddie McCuen, a struggling comedian. It is a role which he shares with his younger sister, Amelia, as his understudy.

“She’s given me a lot of tips and I’m a better actor because of her,” said Forder.

AHS senior Carmen Baskette reminisced about her time with the drama department and her extensive career as an actor on the Little Theatre stage. She recognizes that she is leaving the drama department in good hands with the younger students and the stellar work of Fagundes. Baskette has enjoyed exploring herself through her character and is thrilled at the chance to perform.

“This show is full of plot twists and laughs and excitement, it’s unlike any show we’ve done," said Baskette. “It keeps me on the edge of my seat, and each time my co-actors perform I notice new things which is a good reason people should come multiple times, but just one is fine.”

The show dates are Nov. 9,11,17 and 18 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at https://gofan.co/app/school/CA22847. The Fred L. Chacon Little Theatre is located on the AHS campus.