While the Lights Were Out

American playwright Jack Sharkey certainly knows how to twist an old-fashioned murder mystery into an outrageously funny comedy. His silly thriller While the Lights Were Out has all the requisite trappings of a whodunit. British accents, watercress sandwiches and characters with names such as Lord and Lady Wickenham fill up the stage. Set in Bermuda, the play starts with a dinner party. The guests include a myriad of characters, mostly bumbling members of the aristocracy. Things are moving along when suddenly the lights go out and a shot is fired. The lights come back on to reveal a lovely blond dressed in naughty black lace standing over a body, holding a knife dripping in blood. But wait, don’t jump to any conclusions. When the constable examines the corpse, he announces the poor guy’s been strangled. And that’s just the beginning of this silly, twisty murder mystery.