SFR Picks—Week of Jan. 9

Murder and sundaes, dance, chill and poems

Hotel Murders

Grab your pipe and magnifying glass 

A killer is steadily claiming victims at the Lone Elm Inn. Hotel security chief Dana Hunt is on the case, and she's turning to you for help interrogating the suspects. Could the murderer be Leonora Cooke, a snoopy and combative hotel guest? What about Stacey Owens, the suspiciously nervous employee? Ask the right questions, guess correctly and you might win a prize. Guess wrong and, well, every
audience member gets an ice cream sundae anyway.

Murder at the Lone Elm, performed at the Los Alamos Little Theatre, is writer/director Miles Ledoux's ninth interactive murder mystery play. This is his first to make it on stage—the others were performed at fundraisers and potlucks in his hometown of Canton, New York.

"I've been a huge fan of murder mysteries almost my entire life," Ledoux tells SFR. "When I was in college I got to be in an interactive murder mystery and it was very vague the way they defined the interactive part, so I started trying to experiment, seeing what worked and what didn't. I wanted to make it so that the interaction could be spontaneous, but at the same time it could also advance the plot."

Before the curtain rises, the audience gets the chance to mingle with the show's 10 characters. Before intermission, those who want to can shout out their questions and accusations during a 25-minute interrogation session with the suspects.

"There's always going to be some kind of unexpected question," Ledoux says, "but nothing that the actors aren't prepared for. At rehearsal I would make up questions for them to answer and practice with that, so they've developed the skill and they do it quite well."

After the interrogation, audience members write down their guesses and then watch the mystery unfold in the second act. Bring your best magnifying glass—118 people showed up to the show's New Year's Eve special performance, and only four of them picked out the killer. (Sarah Eddy)

Murder at the Lone Elm
7:30 pm Fridays and Saturdays Jan. 11-19;
2 pm Sunday Jan. 13. $13-$15.
Los Alamos Little Theatre,
1670 Nectar St, Los Alamos,
662-5493

Chill

Way back in 2009, when the world was but a simple place, Washed Out (aka Ernest Greene) sat at the forefront of a burgeoning chillwave movement with the release of High Times, a mellow yet danceable 20 minutes that catapulted the producer and songwriter into household-name status (in some households, anyway). Hard to believe that's 10 years ago now, but as we humans love recognizing our milestones, High Times is getting the re-press treatment (plus cassettes!) and becomes the catalyst for a Washed Out tour. Santa Fe's Meow Wolf makes that lineup—hardly surprising given the org's affinity for electronic jams—and you're reaping all the benefits. For maximum results, get stoned first. Not a joke. (Alex De Vore)

Washed Out
8 pm Thursday Jan. 10. $15.
Meow Wolf,
1352 Rufina Circle,
395-6369

Danse, Danse

In October, we told you about the Exquisite Corpse exhibit at the Santa Fe Community Gallery, wherein differing artists each designed one part of a figure (legs, torso, head) for interesting if not unique creations. The inspiration keeps on rolling this week with JoAnne Tucker, founder of the New York-based Avodah Dance Ensemble, who presides over small groups of dancers for an interactive gathering inspired by the idea of how movement works in our heads, feet and torsos. Routines will be choreographed and shared with other attendees for the resultant Exquisite Corpse dance performance. This thing's 14-and-up, but should yield excellently unexpected results. (ADV)

Exquisite Corpse: Movement & Dance
1-3 pm Saturday Jan. 12. Free.
Santa Fe Community Gallery,
201 W Marcy St.,
955-6705

Un-Prose

In the world of poetry, "accessible" is sometimes a slur—but we mean it as a compliment when we say George Wallace's intellectually complex poetry is accessible for everyone. The poet-in-residence at the Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site on Long Island travels our way from his New York home to share his sometimes psychedelic, often irreverent verse at Teatro Paraguas. Some pieces read like those of a Bukowski who got his act cleaned up, or perhaps a more grounded Kerouac: full of imagery you can sink your teeth into, but that still flies off into the weird and heady directions we expect from good poetry. He's the author of 34 books and chapbooks, so if you don't like one poem, chances are he's got something you'll enjoy. For an evening presented by Jules' Poetry Playhouse, Wallace is joined by local writer John Macker. (Charlotte Jusinski)

George Wallace and John Macker
7 pm Monday January 14. $5-$10 suggested donation.
Teatro Paraguas,
3205 Calle Marie,
424-1601

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