(photo by Indy Ghost Light)

I was part of the full house that attending opening night of Actors Theatre of Indiana’s production of Ed Dixon’s “Whodunit…The Musical.” Some thoughts.

— As something of a collector of musicals, a previously unseen tuner has a special appeal to me. When I moved to Indianapolis in the mid-90s, I was amazed that such shows as “The Happy Time,” “No Way to Treat a Lady,” and “Children of Eden” were among the locally produced offerings. Even if the productions weren’t outstanding, the chance to see these shows was a treat for me. So when I saw that ATI was staging an established-if-not-well-known musical that featured an original score and not a jukebox lineup, I felt it was time to head to Carmel and check out “Whodunit.”

— Another reason: One of my biggest regrets of this theater season was not being able to get to Actors Theatre of Indiana’s production of the musical “She Loves Me.” ATI, in residence at the Center for the Performing Arts, has a history of smart casting and strong voices and the chance to hear that classic in the intimate Studio Theatre was something I wish I could have experienced. Having not seen an ATI show since “Violet” in the 2022-23 season, I felt it was time I caught up with the 20-year-old company, which brought such pleasures as “A Year with Frog and Toad” to our stages.

— A period thriller with the complexity of a Scooby-Doo episode, “Whodunit” parks mystery-reader Carrie (Judy Fitzgerald) and her servant Liddy (Cynthia Collins) in a mansion butled by Thomas (John Vessels Jr.) and soon visited by niece Sally (Logan Hill) and her fiance Jack (Jacob A. Butler) as well as a police inspector (Eric Olson) and what happens then, well that’s the play and they wouldn’t want us to give it away.

— Suffice it to say that the melodrama, locked-room murder mystery, and radio drama cliches are embraced, but playwright Dixon doesn’t seem to care much for logic or motivational consistency. Carrie, for instance, gets an “I want” song early and sporadically seems interested in solving the mystery that emerges, but as often she just wants to get out of the house. The killer’s plan relies on some dumb luck. Yes, mysteries sometimes stretch credibility, anything-for-a-laugh can be fun, and melodramas are, well, melodramatic. But, ideally, an anchoring sensibility keeps all of those elements working together rather than feeling haphazard. There’s also an occassional fourth-wall breaking moment but, like the characters’ actions, there’s little rhyme or reason to these choices.

— The score has a handful of highlights. Sally and Jack’s duet “Just Think About Me” has a period charm and could have been an outtake from an early Rogers and Hart show. And “The Card Reading” in the second act livened things up and even got the two women in the row ahead of me to stop gabbing for a few moments. Rarely, though, did the songs enhance the drama or the comedy, instead feeling like filler in spite of strong vocals and tight musicianship from the three-piece offstage orchestra.

— Looking ahead, I’m excited to see that ATI is teaming up with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Arts Chorale for “Titanic: The Musical” in June. The combination of talent and strong material should be a night to remember.