Agatha Christie’s The BBC Murders plays Nov. 13 and 15-18 at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater.
CLEARWATER - In celebration of Agatha Christie’s The BBC Murders opening night, Capitol Theatre is hosting a street fair that will transform the 400 block of Cleveland Street into a scene from 1940s era Britain.
Classic cars will line the street with the sounds of Scottish bagpipers and the 18-piece Ten O’clock Swing Band on hand to set the mood. Dressed in period attire, students from The Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute will welcome patrons and serve as the Queen’s Guard at the doors of the Capitol Theatre.
Guests are encouraged to come dressed in their vintage best to dance alongside professional swing dancers, view living statues of Winston Churchill and Big Ben, as well as partake in a wine tasting.
When the sun goes down, scenes from the Capitol’s history will come to life on the theater’s façade. The street festival is free and open to the public with entertainment from 6:30 8 p.m.
Agatha Christie’s The BBC Murders stories were initially part of the BBC Mystery Play Series just before and after World War II. The manuscripts were lost for more than fifty years due to the London Blitz and post-war reconstruction.
For many years, legendary Broadway producer Zev Buffman had heard about these long lost play scripts and he set out to find them. Not only did he find the scripts, but many of them were the original actors’ scripts with notations from the actors themselves.
Adapted for the stage by Judith Walcutt and David Ossman, the show has only been presented once, two seasons ago by Zev and the International Mystery Writers’ Festival at the River Park Center in Owensboro, Kentucky. Agatha Christie’s The BBC Murders became a stunning international hit and drew audiences from all parts of the world.
This will be the production’s Florida premier before starting a United States National Tour.
Agatha Christie’s The BBC Murders is supported by the Tampa Bay Times, Morgan Stanley, Vology, Besa Grill, Pinch-A-Penny and D-Mar General Contracting.
Reserved tickets priced at $55 and $40 for the Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday performances. Tickets are available at the Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office located at 1111 McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater, by calling 727-791-7400 and online at www.RuthEckerdHall.com/BBCMurders. The Capitol Theatre Ticket Office opens one hour prior to show time.
Show times are 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13; 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15; 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18; 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 17; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18. Visit www.RuthEckerdHall.com/BBCMurders.
The 500-seat Capitol Theatre, located in downtown Clearwater’s Cleveland Street District, was constructed in 1921 and is one of Florida’s oldest operating theaters. A partnership with the city of Clearwater will allow Ruth Eckerd Hall to renovate the classic structure, returning the theater to its former grandeur.
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