PlaysbyMichaelDruce.com
Contact: michaeldruce@hotmail.com
In this dark ten-minute drama of what goes around comes around, circumstance brings together two men in a small-town diner late at night. Clark Devon, the rich and powerful CEO of ConQuest, is on trial for bankrupting his company, costing thousands of employees their jobs. Stu, the owner of the diner, is on the rebound after coping with a personal tragedy. Over coffee, both men relate how circumstances have affected their lives. As each man’s story unfolds, details surface that link the two men and build toward a startling conclusion.
When six famous film and theatre critics gather at the Chateau Poupon to receive the prestigious Van Janz award for literary criticism, they quickly discover that the sword is mightier than the pen. After one of the critics suddenly dies, it appears everyone, including the proprietors of the chateau, is marked for murder. Police inspector Claude Renault is promptly sent for, but before the inept policeman can solve the crime, he too becomes one of the victims. So, who is the killer, and where is he or she hiding? Deliciously witty with hilarious lines and visual gags.
Edward Fortune's name is synonymous with money. The eccentric business tycoon subscribes to the notion that living well is the best revenge. Flamboyant and outspoken, ten guests are invited to Mr. Fortune's lavish weekend retreat for a creative investment opportunity. They're thinking stocks and bonds, but Mr. Fortune with all the access to all of the money in the world, just bought a fledgling theatre and bet his artistic director that ten ordinary people could write a more entertaining play than anything that's been staged at this off-off Broadway theatre. If they succeed, they will receive a sizable check for their creative contributions; if they fail, they enjoyed a nice, quiet weekend in an exquisite estate. Somewhere between nice and quiet, the rules apparently change and the greedy guests decide fewer writers means more money which means a higher body count.
After ten distant relatives learn that each of them is about to inherit a million dollars, wheels begin to turn and plots hatch. If someone doesn't make it through the stormy weekend ahead, their share will be divided equally among the others. It doesn't take a mathematical genius to figure out that less is more. As bodies pile up, the laughs come fast and furiously in this ‘whodunnit' that proves that Where There's a Will, There's a Murder.