Gangsters and Flappers and Murders - oh my!

This Friday, Halloween to be exact, I attended a Mystery Murder dinner, set in the 1920's.

The party was hosted by Philip Vegdahl and Mary Patterson, some post-college kids that I've gotten to know at church. (Mary, who is a fabulous pianist, has started working on the Poulenc Sonata with me - hurray!). They used a kit with pre-made characters, plot twists, and pieces of 'evidence'. Each of the party-goers (there were 22 total) got a booklet in advance that told about their character.

I was a young flapper who'd recently married the lead Chicago gangster, thereby affending his ex-wife, my mother, and my mother-in-law. I was also secretly seeing (get this) Al Capone. I find dangerous men so attractive! I recently got a black eye from slipping when coming down from the stage.

I spent a good chunk of time Friday afternoon watching Youtube clips on how to Charleston. But I didn't get much of a chance to use my newly-acquired knowledge, because at the beginning of the evening my role turned tragic as my husband was shot dead! How could a grieving widow possible dance the Charleston? But my widow-status didn't keep me from being pursued by Al Capone, who wanted to know who had really given me that black eye!



All-in-all, it was an excellent evening, with magnificent costumes, dramatic moments, and good practice at imaginative play. You could tell that some of the guests hadn't played dress-up in a very long time... imaginative play takes work and should be maintained by frequent use. I challenge you all to do at least one imaginative thing this week!
From the Archives: Nov. 2, 2008