A wealthy man is dead, a detective is on the hunt and every guest has a secret. “The Alibis,” Broken Box’s upcoming show, is not your typical comedy — the humorous mystery anthology will bring heists, horrible alibis and hilarious murder to the stage Thursday to Saturday, 7 p.m. each night.
And from the opening prologue to the plot twist ending, it’s fully directed by students.
“It’s just a really humorous, fun whodunit kind of show,” said senior Nora Saraci-Alonso, who directs the interludes, prologue and epilogue.
At the center of the production is a murder at a rich man’s birthday party. The suspects are brought in for questioning by a detective, but none of them have solid alibis.
“The catch of the whole play is that in each of their alibis, they’re revealing a different crime they committed,” Nora said.
Unlike a traditional play, “The Alibis” is an anthology of related short stories. Each suspect’s alibi is its own mini play, directed independently by a student instead of Broken Box adviser Lisa Battle. Interludes – the interrogation scenes between the plays — tie the short stories together.
“We have as much flexibility with the production as we want,” said senior Avni Rajagopal, who directs two of the seven short stories. “You can follow the stage directions, or you can go your own direction.”
While the setting sounds dark and serious, the content itself is the opposite. The show features absurd alibis about a diamond-stuffed fish heist (In Case Of Fish), a diva saving her childhood theater (Davina Arlington Wants Revenge!), a ridiculous tragedy with a hamster (Hamster Murder!), a poison attempt at a badger (Badger Poison), a jewel thief’s candy addiction (Attempted Theft of a Confection from a Minor ) and a dramatic noir parody (Mill Noir). It’s almost nonsensical.
Avni noted that the student directors leaned into the humor, choreographing a lively fight scene, incorporating improvisation, and sprinkling jokes throughout the production.
“Typically, we think of murder mysteries as super serious,” Nora said. “But this play is just so funny and entertaining to watch and it’s a reminder not to take things too seriously.”
Directors fine-tuned the set and lighting decisions and determined details to highlight the comedy.
“As an actor, I have control over my character,” Nora said. “As a director, I have a chance to apply my vision for the play and make that come to life.”
“I help the actors go onstage and come up with funny ideas,” said senior Aditya Rajesh, who also directs two short stories. “For example, our lead actor plays around on the set and pretends to smoke a cigarette before the show starts. That wasn’t written in the script, but even from the opening of our show, the actors find creative ways to play around like that.”
With five directors shaping one show, collaboration between them, technicians and actors is key. Consistency between scenes required constant communication about transitions and logistics, even with the relatively simple set.
“It felt like a puzzle, making everything work, making sure that we’re all in agreement in the way that our plays use the set,” Avni said.
This cooperation has bonded Broken Box members. The directors work closely with their actors, and communication has strengthened the entire class, according to senior Abigail Andrade, an actor in Avni’s plays.
“It’s been nice getting closer with people,” Abigail said. “You have to have good bonds with people around you when you’re acting. It’s helpful that we’re working with close friends that are also directors.”
After three months of preparation, Avni said Broken Box is excited for audience reactions.
“I think it’s gonna be a crowd pleaser,” Avni said. “You have directors who know what other high schoolers are into, that’s the unique angle you get.”
Watch Broken Box’s ridiculous alibis unfold in the Eagle Theater starting Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets ($5 for students; $10 for general admission) are available online and at the door. Additional shows are scheduled for Friday and Saturday 7 p.m.
