Father O'Sullivan is frantic. The bank is about to foreclose on his church and the Our Lady of Almost Lost Causes orphanage. He's contending with developers trying to convert the place into condos, a young couple wanting to get married, a mobster nosing about, and an uptight bookkeeper. The priest's efforts to raise money — through an Absolution Car Wash, a "Sweat for Father O'Sullivan" aerobics marathon and a Bingo night — are thwarted. The money is stolen, and someone turns up dead.
"B-I-N-G-O Spells Murder," a fast-paced interactive comedy, is the third annual whodunit for the Eagan Theater Company, also in its third year of existence. Their first dinner theater mystery sold out, as did last year's.
"It's really an event," said director Jim Anderson, of Eagan. Two years ago, they organized a casino murder mystery, and last year, they featured Irish tenors for their Irish pub mystery. This year, participants will play bingo and choose prizes from piles of wrapped gifts.
According to Kay Brown of Eagan, the group's managing director, the little theater company of about a dozen members varies widely in age. The oldest is 92. The youngest, Vanessa Goodthunder, is 20.
Goodthunder, who plays an airheaded fiancée in the upcoming production, has acted at the University of Minnesota, where she majors in history and American Indian studies. "I just thought I'd get involved with the community I lived in because it was closer," she said. "It's just a hobby, but I really do love it."
Fellow cast member Judy Marder (the bookkeeper), of Eagan, who retired three years ago, has always wanted to act. "I'm not a real actor-actor. I'm a wannabe," she said. "It's all about putting yourself into a different life. It's really very freeing."
Michael R. Morningstar of Apple Valley (Claude, the real estate developer), has acted with various community theaters and in local films. The self-described introvert said coworkers are sometimes surprised when he tacks up an announcement for a play he's in. "I lead a boring life," he said. "This is my outlet."
Two years ago, Ken Coy of Inver Grove Heights (O'Sullivan), who said he's been in about 80 plays around the Twin Cities area, started organizing 1940s-era radio dramas. The group performs at local senior centers, and they work characters such as Hedda Hopper, Mae West and Jimmy Stewart into the scripts, as well as commercials for products such as Spam and Green Giant.
