October is here at last, and fans of mysteries are already grabbing their tickets for the return of our spookiest seasonal hit, “Murder Manor.” We sat down with show creator Kristin Finger to learn more about this fan favorite, and hear what’s in store for this year’s run.

“Murder Manor” is a fully improvised murder mystery based on Finger’s favorite game and movie, “Clue.” The show features the iconic characters Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, and so on, but are not direct replicas of the movie’s characters. Each performer has developed their own over the top versions of the characters. Every show has the goal to keep the audience laughing while also feeling a tingle of suspense – it is a murder mystery, after all.

Loyal fanz will of course recognize Kristin Finger – she has made a home here at CSz for artistic adventures since 2007. She adds, “being surrounded by some of the most talented people in Philly has taught me so much and given me the confidence to create my own projects; without CSz I’m not sure if I’d ever have created all that I have.” In addition to “Murder Manor,” Finger has brought to our stage “Hallmarkable: An Improvised Hallmark Holiday Movie,” “Improvised Golden Girls,” and “Dun-Dun: Improvised Crime Unit.” She also has performed in many duos and teams, and has been a part of our shows “Improvised Star Wars,” “The She-Quel,” “Pride & Prejudice: A Queer Parody,” and of course our Saturday night ComedySportz matches.

KRISTIN FINGER, CSz PHILADELPHIA PERFormer and creator of “MURDER MANOR”

Audiences will appreciate all of the details that go into the creation of an original murder mystery each night. Just like in the game, there is a deck of cards with each character’s likeness on them. The Butler has an audience member (without looking, of course) pick a card that denotes who that night’s murderer will be! He then ONLY shows it to the actors, puts it in the Confidential envelope, and has another audience member secure it safely under their seat for the remainder of the show. The Butler also gathered suggestions from the audience that will be the reasons each character is being blackmailed by Mr. Boddy. The Butler reads those suggestions live on stage for the actors to hear for the first time, so then the audience gets to see the actors have to make sense of them and play them out in a fully formed performance improvised on the spot. There will be murders as the show progresses, and at the end the audience will get to guess who they believe the murderer is.

The show is in its 9th year, and even continued to run online during the pandemic. It has become a fall tradition for many. Finger is rightfully proud of the show and its success, and is equally quick to credit that to the improvisers who make up the cast of characters.

She says: “’Murder Manor’ is everything I dreamed it would be because of [this cast]. I think what makes them so unique is that they each have strengths. So when we set off into our pairs to search the house you get such different scenes each night depending on the pairings. Putting a performer like David Dritsas (Mustard) who plays with such wit and drive with someone like Alli Soowal (Scarlet) who plays with joy and cleverness, it leads to a scene filled with banter of an old married couple that knows how to push each other’s buttons while still making each other laugh. Mariah Ghant (White) performs with the confidence of a Tony Award winner who also happens to be the most hilarious person in the room. Partner that with Shaun Kreider (Green) who is our stealth secret weapon of one liners and judgmental glares, you get a scene from a Christopher Guest-meets-Hitchcock movie. The wonderfully talented Dan Reed, who is stepping into the role of Professor Plum this year, mixes careful chaos and a Daniel Day Lewis-esque dedication to the role. Put that with our Understudy, Jake Lucas (White) who is simply a tease of brilliance and sharpness, and it makes for a scene filled with belly laughs that’ll make your Apple watch think you just did CrossFit workout. We must not forget the glue of the show, our fine Butler, the incomparable Nate Holt. Without giving away any spoilers I’ll just say that Nate brings a multitude of talent to the stage, including some of the best physical comedy I’ve ever seen. And me…well, I play Mrs. Peacock. But most folks may not know, but we have an 8th cast member, the lovely Lisa Palfy, our tech operator. I consider her a member of the cast because within our show, she is deciding when to edit our scenes, when to hit cues that make the show move forward. Without her, we’d be lost!”

With a stacked cast of top Philadelphia talent, a reverence for the source material, and a pocket full of ideas suggested by the audience, “Murder Manor” promises suspense and surprises for everyone alongside the comedy! Get your tickets now for “Murder Manor,” Friday nights through October at CSz Philadelphia!

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Usher in the Spooky Season with "Murder Manor" at CSz Philadelphia