Four relatives and the attorney handling the estate.
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Interactive Musical-Comedy Murder Mystery
Last Kill and Testament
The fortune is enormous. The mourning is negotiable.
Dye Funeral Home & Burns Crematorium
The Commode King has left the building.
His family is waiting for the payout.The Mystery
A suspicious accident. A very impatient family.
Toilet magnate Branford Butterworth has died in an explosion involving one of his own prototypes. At the Dye Funeral Home and Burns Crematorium, his widow, two sons and brother have gathered to mourn him—or at least to find out what they are getting.
Attorney Ernie Shmendrick is ready to read the will, but the circumstances of Branford’s death have brought an investigation to the funeral. Family recollections expose old resentments, rejected inventions and plenty of reasons to wish the Commode King an early departure.
Before the inheritance can be settled, the audience must sort the testimony, question the heirs and decide what really happened in the powder room.
At a Glance
Built for a room full of suspects.
A gathering, conflicting recollections and the reading of the will.
Guests become the detective, household staff and other visitors.
The day after Branford Butterworth’s death.
The Audience Has a Role
The witnesses are sitting at your table.
Audience volunteers play Detective Ketchum, members of the household, unexpected visitors and even Branford himself in a flashback. Short exchanges put the guests inside the family’s competing accounts.
The will makes the audience’s deductions part of the evening: guests question the suspects, then submit Detective Cards before the final act settles the case and the estate.
Meet the Characters
Five performers.
A roomful of motives.
“Babs” Butterworth
The widow, with an eye for attractive young men and an even larger inheritance.
Brett
The gloomy eldest son, whose outlook suits a funeral home.
Brice
The other son, an obsessive inventor looking for his father’s approval.
Bruno
Branford’s brother, with inventive ideas and grievances of his own.
Ernie Shmendrick
The family attorney, balancing the will, the investigation and his gambling debts.
Read & Produce
Open the case.
Read the 21-page excerpt, explore the complete script on New Play Exchange, or request a reading copy directly.
The excerpt is available here without registration. The complete script is available to NPX subscribers, or by requesting a reading copy. For production inquiries, contact Butch Maxwell.
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