February 25, 2024 — The annual live radio dramas presented by the Winnipesaukee Players in Meredith, New Hampshire, are among the shows I most look forward to. They're presented like an old fashioned radio show on the Winni stage with a control room behind the actors, who are seated except when called to a microphone to speak their parts, script in hand. To the left of the stage are the foley artists (sound effects) with all the paraphernalia needed to produce the sounds the script calls for.
In this season's show, directed by Sam Ducharme and Debbi Finkelstein, two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries, The Case of the Iron Box and The Case of the Haunted Chateau, were presented. They took about a half hour each with a 15-minute intermission in between, very comfortable timing for the audience.
Both plays were introduced by the station master (Lore Heywood) from the control room, The Case of the Iron Box was presented first. Dr. Watson (Hazel Heywood) relates the story of Walter (Brendan Berube), a Scot whose birth on February 29 has held up his inheritance because of a dispute as to whether there was a February 29 in the year of his birth. Speaking in a booming Scottish accent, Berube had the strongest voice of all the players, a fact I appreciated because I was having trouble hearing some of the softer-spoken actors in a more distant end of the stage.
Following intermission, The Case of the Haunted Chateau was presented. Jennifer Simon as Mrs. Gibson, in wildly colorful attire and loud American Southern accent pretty much stole the show. Berube appeared again, this time as Gaston speaking in a French accent.
Other actors, obviously having fun themselves while delighting the audience, included William Johnson as Sherlock Holmes, Heather Williams, Kelly Bennett, Raymond Chambers, Robin Dorff, Nicole Gauvreau, Mary Morehouse Rogers and Mary White.
