Trenton’s Open Book Theatre Company offers “Retire in Peace” as its summer Driveway Theatre offering, with Mike Danaj (left) and Maggie Alger playing multiple roles in the fast-paced murder mystery. To bring it to your home or another location, go to openbooktc.com.
Summertime is Michigan is a great time to be outdoors, and the Open Book Theatre Company’s annual Driveway Theater offering blends summer weather and fast-paced entertainment with the comedic murder-mystery “Retire in Peace.”
Driveway Theatre began in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when an outdoor venue was the only way to safely present shows.
It proved to be a fun and different theater option, so OBTC has chosen to continue it each summer since.
For $200 and a “pass the bucket” option, the show will come to a Downriver location, whether a home, park, church or business. For $500, it will be performed without donations being solicited. The cost to bring the show to farther away locations in southeast Michigan can be negotiated.
OBTC Artistic Director and the show’s director Krista Schaefer said Driveway Theater is fun and different.
“No one else does anything like this,” she said. “It’s a great way to get theater out into the community, and we get to bring theatre to a lot of people who aren’t familiar with Open Book, who maybe never go to the theatre at all.”
She said she also loves that Driveway Theatre has given her a chance to commission new plays from local playwrights.
“Retire in Peace,” written by Jacob Zinke, is a two-person show in which the actors, Maggie Alger and Mike Danaj, play multiple roles. It takes place at Charlie Smith’s retirement party, where each guest has murderous motive to be a suspect.
Schafer said the show, which runs about 45 minutes, is “pure entertainment.”
“It takes place at the early retirement party for Charlie Smith, who is hosting the party with his third wife,” she said. “Two actors play nine roles, and are constantly changing character, with just a prop or simple costume piece, and some wacky accents and mannerisms.”
Schaefer said that while everyone seems guilty at one point, all is revealed at the end of show.
“It’s a wild and funny ride that will keep you guessing and laughing,” she said. “Half the fun is watching the actors keeping it all straight.”
Schafer said that while the show is fast-paced, audiences are able to keep track of who are suspects and what their motives might be.
“I don’t have to worry about the audience getting bored, and between the mystery and the quick changes, there’s plenty going on,” she said.
Alger, who plays four main characters – Charlie’s third wife, his former business partner, his son and a detective-in-training – also appears as a corpse.
“The biggest challenge in having to switch characters on stage is simply remembering what comes next,” she said. “Unlike shows where you get a moment offstage and can look at notes or reference a script, you’ve got to make a decision and hope it’s the right one, because the audience is constantly watching; there’s no time to second guess yourself.”
Alger said nailing down the order the characters appear was as challenging as learning all of the lines.
“The most fun part of the process for me was getting to play with the characters in order to make them come across as distinct from each other,” she said. “I am almost never cast as anything zany or off-the-wall, so getting to let loose and be as silly as I want is a treat.”
Alger said booking “Retire in Peace” for one’s summer party is a way to make the gathering memorable.
“If anyone is on the fence about booking a performance, I want them to think about all the summer parties they’ve been to,” she said. “Certainly, these parties all blend in with each other: food, mingling with friends and family, heat, mosquitoes, and maybe some cornhole. Bringing a live performance to your house is sure to make any summer party memorable.
“Plus, all the hard work is on the actors. All you have to do is sit back and get ready to laugh.”
Danaj, who plays retiree Charlie Smith, also plays his first and second ex-wives, the police detective, and a party crasher.
He said the quick pace of the show presents unique challenges for the actors.
“I might end a line with one character and start the next scene with a completely different character,” he said. “The most difficult challenge is a scene where I play both the characters speaking and I have to keep changing back and forth.”
Danaj said it is also challenging to learn what happens next and which character appears next.
“Since it’s a murder mystery, we can’t skip any scenes or characters,” he said. “We have to make sure who is appearing next.”
Danaj said he’s had fun developing each of his characters during the rehearsal process.
“We were encouraged to go big with all of them, and I think that makes them all feel so unique,” he said. “There are always jokes being made, and the audience is trying to find out ‘whodunnit’ at the same time.”
Danaj said all types of audiences will enjoy the show.
“No matter your age or background with theatre, you are sure to laugh and have a good time,” he said.
To book a performance through Sept. 1, contact the Open Book Theatre Company at 734-288-7753 or go to the website, openbooktc.com.