Murder By Chocolate
Murder by Chocolate began as a joke in the programme of ‘Biscuit & Coffee’. We had received so much product sponsorship from Karajoz Coffee for ‘Biscuit & Coffee’ we jokingly wrote that the next show had to be about chocolate. It wasn’t until more and more people started asking where the chocolate show was that it actually became a reality. Phil had always wanted to write a murder mystery spoof and we were very keen to perform together after 2 years of ‘Biscuit & Coffee’. So ‘Murder by Chocolate’ was created, a murder mystery spoof, with two actors and a lot of chocolate. Alex plays Felicia Fargo, romance writer, downtrodden daughter and chocoholic. Phil plays everyone else. Dorian - Felicia’s assistant, Margo Fargo - Felicia’s overbearing Mother, Fesley - Felicia’s publisher, Constable - the policeman and Madam Vulnavia - the psychic.
‘Murder by Chocolate’ premiered at BATS in Wellington in January 2007.
Having already been signed for a season at The Fortune Theatre in Dunedin as part of The Cadbury Chocolate Carnival, Cadbury also sponsored ‘Murder by Chocolate’s’ National Tour. ‘Murder by Chocolate’ performed in Wellington, Whakatane, again as part of The Whakatane Summer Arts Festival, Tauranga, Dunedin and again at The Herald Theatre THE EDGE as part of The STAMP programme in 2007. In 2008 Flaxworks was back on the road with a National Tour taking on 36 venues throughout the country returning to many places we had originally performed ‘Biscuit & Coffee’ 3 years earlier. Although touring ‘Biscuit & Coffee’ was hard because we had no idea what to expect, at least it was designed to tour. ‘Murder by Chocolate’ was originally written with a technician in mind to operate the show but the financial risks of an extended tour meant we needed to see if we could do it ourselves. The trick was to substitute the usual light and sound effects with more performer friendly devices in a way that still worked with the storyline. As well as playing six characters onstage we also learned to operate all of the 40 odd light and sound cues in a show already described by a Lumiere Review as ‘totally madcap’.
Weaving together food, death and comedy, ‘Murder by Chocolate’ is a tribute to not only the original murder mystery, but to art, the cult of celebrity and of course, chocolate.
Alex Ellis plays Felicia Fargo, a disenchanted romance writer who is determined to reject the fluff of romance for the gritty world of crime writing. Inevitably Felicia finds herself embroiled in a bizarre series of chocolaty murders based on her own dubious crime novel. Alongside Dorian, her clueless assistant, played by Phil Ormsby, she attempts to untangle the traditional web of lies and plot twists to discover the truth behind the murders and her own bittersweet history. In classic whodunit style the body count rises as the chocolate finger of suspicion points to…who? The TV psychic? The crime-writing policeman? Or Felicia’s own mother, the greatest celebrity chef to come out of a Balclutha bakery?
It’s a chocolate rush to die for! Dark, rich, and full of nuts!
‘a theatrical gateaux of light-hearted dark comedy with lashings of indulgent wit’ Nik Smythe, Theatreview. Auckland
Murder by Chocolate is filled with dramatic skill and wit.’ The Marlborough Express
Alex Ellis and Phil Ormsby had people rolling in their seats with laughter’ Dargaville & Districts News
Standout performance moments’ John Smythe, Theatreview. Wellington
It is a delicious blend of humour, whodunnit and art’ Taranaki Daily News
two very good actors who have no trouble in holding an audience in the palms of their hands.’ Hawkes Bay Today
The result is a one-act riotous spoof and generally all-round good entertainment – the sort of show that could easily be seen twice’ Hamilton Press
This was a night of fun and entertainment provided by two clever and very professional performers.’ The Nelson Mail