''Any Number Can Die'' premiered at the Dorset Playhouse,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

by the Caravan Theatre Summer Stock Company. The Dorset Playhouse was owned by Fred and his wife Patricia from 1949-1975.

Plot

The play takes place in Raven's Head, an old mansion on a deserted island off the coast of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. A spoof of murder mysteries and classic movies from the 1920s and 30s, the plot follows the regular stereotypes of classical murder mysteries, such as the reading of a will at midnight, enigmatic and curious-looking house staff, secret passageways, and an old detective working on his first-ever case.

Scene Breakdown

*Act I **Scene One:Late afternoon **Scene Two:After dinner *Act II **Scene One:Short time later **Scene Two:An hour later *Act III **Scene One:Short time later **Scene Two:An hour later, just before dawn.

Cast

The show was directed by Fred Carmichael, staged by Patricia Carmichael, set design by Judith Page Murray, and lighting design by George Blanchard. It starred Nicholas (Chuck), Colette Bablon (Judy), Susan Kaslow (Zenia), Charles Dickens (Roger Masters), Victoria Camargo (Celia Lathrop),

M. Emmet Walsh Michael Emmet Walsh (born March 22, 1935) is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, including small but important supporting roles in dozens of major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in ''Bl ...

(T.J. Lathrop), Peter von Mayrhauser (Edgars), Elizabeth Franz (Ernestine Wintergreen), Barbara Greacen (Sally VanViller), Anthony Dingman (Carter Forstman), Nick Masi Jr. (Jack Regent), and Fred Carmichael (Hannibal Hix).

References

American plays 1965 plays Plays set in North Carolina {{1960s-play-stub