The Waldo Theatre’s upcoming community theatre production Murdering the Mob, which opens Nov. 15, is a silly, fun, whodunit murder mystery co-written by Westport Island resident Cheryl Salatino and her former creative partners Donald K. Baillargeon and Dan Dowling.

“One of the things we try to do here at The Waldo is feature local artists’ works,” said Susan Hodder, Waldo’s executive director and co-director of this play. “Two years ago we featured the play 'Homer Bound,' written by the wonderful Karmo Sanders, aka “The Marden’s Lady” (who, sadly, recently passed away) and last year we staged a toe-tapping country musical, 'Tanglin’ Hearts,' written by Edgecomb resident Zora Margolis.  This year we’re thrilled to be bringing Cheryl’s work back to the stage.”

“My collaborators and I originally wrote this piece a few decades ago at the request of Nick’s Comedy Stop in Boston’s theatre district,” said Ms. Salatino. “They were looking for an original, engaging comedy with audience involvement.  At that time, the popularity of whodunit murder mysteries and crime solving television shows was rapidly rising. Once we agreed upon that theme, we decided to set the show in a 1920s speakeasy.  We were from the Boston area, we knew the accents, the local references, and peppered the show throughout with over-the-top laughs. The characters just started writing themselves.”

“What I’m most proud of about this play is that audiences really do have a great time,” Salatino continued. “They love getting involved, questioning and bribing cast members for information, and taking their guess at the identity of the perpetrator(s).  It’s a thrill to see this show come to life once again.”

"Murdering the Mob" performances at The Waldo are scheduled for Nov. 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23. The curtain goes up on evening performances at 7:30 and at 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinees Advance online tickets are just $15 and now on sale at thewaldotheatre.org. 

Content advisory: This production includes simulated gun shots and scenes depicting physical violence.