Published: November 18, 2009 10:09 pm      

Murder on Mansion Row: Christmas party setting for Culbertson West murder mystery

The murderous yet comedic plot centers around a company Christmas party, the play was written by New Albany talent and the food will be to die for — that’s the description Steve Goodman lends to the latest performance scheduled for the Culbertson West.

New Albany residents Don and Cheri Harshey embarked on writing their first murder mystery at the suggestion of Carl Holliday and Goodman — co-owners of Culbertson West.

The couple attended their first murder mystery in 1996 in Florida but their only real experience with production came from church performances. But the Harsheys deepened their mystery knowledge by working fundraisers for Friends of Culbertson Mansions.

“That provided superb experiences as well as meeting some incredibly nice and talented people,” Don Harshey wrote in a news release.

The Harsheys became regulars at Culbertson West shows, and not long ago they were approached by Goodman and Holliday about coming up with their own script.

They agreed, and decided to involve many of their family members in the production to not only write the script, but also act in the performance.

Their effort yielded “The Company Christmas Party,” a murder mystery derived from something most people can relate to — a bad boss.

“We decided to focus on the worst, two-faced boss we ever had. We had so much fun talking about our collective past regarding our most arrogant, condescending, lying, cheating and despised bosses it was therapeutic,” Harshey said.

The Harsheys put their plot into play utilizing the setting of a work Christmas party where bosses mingle with the employees they take advantage of throughout the year.

The setting exemplifies bosses pretending to care despite “using, shafting and exploiting” their workers throughout the year, Harshey said.

Audience winners that correctly guess the killer will be eligible for a prize.

Harshey said the mystery “includes a very rare tour of one of the finest mansions and examples of late 1800’s architecture in the Louisville area. It’s an interactive play where the audience participates in solving the murder.”

There are two performances of “The Company Christmas Party” scheduled — Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 with doors opening at 6 p.m. each evening.

Tickets are $35 and include dinner. They must be purchased by Dec. 1 and are available by calling Culbertson West at 812-941-8100.