If you enjoy the theatre, then you know the feeling of being swept away by what’s happening onstage, and perhaps even forgetting for a bit where you are. In fact, people can be so caught up in a theatre production that they don’t notice what’s going on around them. And that makes theatres really effective settings for fictional murders. I’m not talking here of murders onstage – too easy! Sometimes, being in the audience is just as dangerous.

For example, Ellery Queen makes his debut in The Roman Hat Mystery. In that novel, successful New York lawyer Monte Field attends the theatre one night. By the end of the production, he’s been murdered. Inspector Richard Queen of the New York police investigates, and his son, Ellery, takes an interest, too. The pair faces a few difficult questions. One is, of course, who had a motive for murder, and was also in attendance that night? Another is, how could someone kill Field with a group of people right there as witnesses? The Queens start by working out who was sitting where at the time Field was murdered. They also look into the question of who would have wanted Field dead. It turns out that Field was a blackmailer, so there are several suspects. The ‘how’ of the murder is a little more complicated, but in the end, Ellery Queen works out how it was all accomplished.

In Agatha Christie’s Sleeping Murder, newlyweds Gwenda and Giles Reed have found what they are hoping is the perfect home in Dilmouth. But soon, Gwenda begins to have disturbing moments of déjà vu, and frightening visions of a dead woman on the floor in the hallway of the home. She starts to wonder if she might be having a mental breakdown, and seeks guidance from her distant relation, Miss Marple. When Gwenda tells her story, Miss Marple is sympathetic, and believes that something is going on in Dilmouth, and it’s not Gwenda’s imagination. Then one night, Gwenda and Miss Marple attend a theatre production. During the play, one scene has a terrible impact on Gwenda, and she has a bizarre reaction to it. Now, Miss Marple is certain that something is very wrong, and she agrees to look into what’s happening. It turns out that Gwenda’s visions are not just the products of an unhealthy mind.

John le Carré’s Call For the Dead introduces his most famous creation, George Smiley, an agent with the British overseas intelligence agency, often called the Circus. In the novel, an agent named Samuel Fennan is accused (but cleared) of treason. Soon afterwards, he’s killed in what looks at first like a successful suicide attempt. Smiley isn’t so sure of that, though, as there’s evidence it might have been murder. So, he starts asking questions. Soon, he suspects he’s being framed for Fennan’s death. Then, there’s an attempt on his life. He and Inspector Mendel of the Special Branch find that the trail leads to some very dangerous places. In one tense scene, Smiley and Mendel have worked out what’s going on, but they need to lay a trap for the killer. They use a theatre rendezvous to do so, knowing that during the production, the seating area will be dark and everyone’s attention will be on what’s happening onstage. It’s a suspenseful scene that shows just how useful theatre settings can be.

Anne Perry’s Farriers’ Lane is a Victorian-era historical mystery featuring Detective Thomas Pitt and his wife Charlotte. In the novel, the Pitts attend the theatre one night. While they’re watching the play, another attendee, Mr. Justice Samuel Stafford, suddenly dies of what turns out to be opium poisoning. The Pitts investigate and find out there’s no shortage of suspects. The victim was an appeals court judge, so the killer could be someone against whom he’d ruled. The murderer could be much closer to home, so the Pitts must also consider Stafford’s wife, friends, and others in his inner circle. It’s not an easy case, and one challenge is how the killer got the opportunity to administer the fatal dose of opium when Stafford was sitting at the theatre, surrounded by other people.

There’s also Deborah Nicholson’s House Report. In it, we meet Kate Carpenter, who is house manager for Calgary’s Foothill Stage Network (FSN). As the story opens, the theatre is putting on a production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. One night while the play is going on, a man called Peter Reynolds is murdered and his body is found in the men’s washroom. The police are called in and begin investigating. They soon settle on the victim’s ex-wife Gladys, who works as an usher at the theatre. With everyone busy watching the play, she had every opportunity to commit the murder. But she says she’s innocent and asks Kate to clear her name. There’s no love lost between the two women, but the murder occurred on Kate’s watch, so to speak, so she feels an obligation to find out what happened. Besides, if Gladys is innocent, she shouldn’t be convicted of the crime. So, Kate agrees to ask some questions. She soon finds that looking into a murder can be a very dangerous thing to do…

See what I mean? Attending a well-done theatre production can be a wonderful experience. It can certainly take a person out of the real world while it’s going on. Just…be careful next time you go.

*NOTE: The title of this post is a line from Mel Brooks’ Opening Night.