Battle for crown takes deadly twist

Beauty pageant is setting for murder-mystery dinner show

JAN HOGAN/VIEWCast members, from left, George Glass as master of ceremonies Beau Tythe, Stacey Nicole as contestant Bambi Jones, Jessica Jensen as contestant Analize Walker and Minka Cara as contestant Svetlana Balugaskya, perform a scene in the new dinner theater production "Pageants Can Be Murder" on Nov. 21 at the Alexis Park Resort Hotel. Advertisement

She was a beauty queen with a face to die for, but instead of being crowned, someone killed her.

It's all part of "Pageants Can Be Murder," the latest comedy dinner theater to open in Las Vegas. It is staged Tuesday through Saturday at the Alexis Park Resort, 375 E. Harmon Ave.

This whodunnit features four women who aren't afraid to play on the impression that beauty contestants are endowed with less than spectacular intelligence. But they are endowed with something else.

"The show has a lot of cleavage," said Barbara Grant, the show's stage manager.

The contestants include Russia-born Sveltana, who claims she's played the violin for diplomats; Wanda the wannabe rock star; Analize, whose stage mother constantly accosts diners with praise for her daughter; and Bambi Jones, who is a dead ringer for Marilyn Monroe.

The man who threads the story together is an over-the-top master of ceremonies by the name of Beau Tythe. He stepped into the audience and asked a few people where they call home. For those who answered "Las Vegas," he had an immediate follow-up question.

"And which Walmart do you shop at?" he asked.

The part was aptly played by George Glass, who admits to being a longtime fan of pageants and has performed professionally with Miss America and Miss USA.

Sammy Gartner played the whiskey-swilling pageant producer who invaded attendees' personal space the moment they stepped in the room. Gartner is known in town as a Groucho Marx impersonator.

When he was accused of sleeping with the dead contestant, he said, "Ha! We never got around to sleeping."

Expect light-hearted moments in "Pageants Can Be Murder," such as Bambi Jones in a sparkling gown, singing a breathy "Happy Birthday" to Barry Michaels, a man she singled out in the audience. He ended up with red lipstick on his face.

Then there were the moments when actors went off script. One of the diners was brought on stage and made an official judge for the beauty contest. When asked her name, she said it was Judy.

"Oh! Judge Judy! I love your TV show," Lou DeMeis, who plays Detective Jorge Grande, said.

The detective, said a number of diners, stole the show. The consummate actor had a way of singling out people and embarrassing them out of their comfort zone. DeMeis also made things sound plausible when he said things such as, "The death was instantaneous, but the not-right-away kind."

By the end of the show, the audience was deputized and guessing the possible culprit.

"I'm not used to being pulled on stage," Michaels said after the show, still sporting the lipstick from the Marilyn Monroe number. "Actually, Goldie Hawn is more my type."

"Pageants Can Be Murder" was written and directed by David Sebastian Bach, who has more than 50 years of experience in the entertainment industry. He's performed internationally as a singer, a songwriter, an actor, a playwright and a director. His dinner theater productions have won "Best of Phoenix" for five years in a row.

The show is structured in such a way that the victim -- or the murderer -- can be swapped out to keep the show fresh.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and shows begin promptly at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $79.95, plus tax. To purchase tickets, call 991-8550.

For more information, visit www. pageantscanbemurder.com.

Contact Summerlin View and South Summerlin View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.