BETHEL – Bethel Community Players will present a murder mystery dinner theater on May 14, 15 and 16, beginning at 6 p.m., at The Victoria Inn and Restaurant, 32 Main St., Bethel, sponsored by the Bethel Performing Arts Project.

Reservations are limited due to space requirements and may be made with The Victoria at 824-8060. On May 14, the dress rehearsal, the fee is $27.50 and on May 15 and 16, the fee is $42.

The dinner theater play, “Good Help is So Hard to Murder” by Pat Cook, is directed by BPAP volunteer co-organizer, Lynn Arizzi. Arizzi proposed the play to Stacey and Kamil Sahin, co-owners of The Victoria Inn, who always wanted to do a dinner theater.

“The Victoria Inn is an ideal setting for this play,” said Arizzi.” The Sahins will dedicate two rooms for the play and diners, where a large fireplace will be the focal point. Arizzi said diners will have a chance to participate by trying to decide “who done it.”

Arizzi said the play is a delightful comedy with an all-female cast. In the play, Delilah, who is convinced that the maid “knows too much” about her family’s shady past, conspires with her reluctant younger sister to kill her. A visit from Elmira, the local psychic, warns them that a tragedy (and most certainly a comedy) is about to occur. Delilah’s tea party doesn’t work as planned, but perhaps a drop or two of the right chemistry in the maid’s bedside tea will do the trick. Just when it looks like the deed is done, the Grim Reaper makes a timely appearance as Elmira senses danger. Officer Judy arrives to help resolve this farce, but it’s the parrot that solves the crime.

Local thespians in the cast include Carole Timberlake as Miribelle Coventry, Sharon Lyon as Delilah Tentrees, Tineke Ouwinga as Libby the maid, Lorrie Hoeh as Elmira, Roberta Taylor as Florence, Carol Campbell as Socrates the parrot, Leigh Dickinson as Aunt Minnie and Rosabelle Tifft as Officer Judy. Diners will have to see the play to learn the identity of the “Grim Reaper.”

This dinner theater play represents the first offering of BPAP this year. Last September, BPAP presented a dinner theater play, “The Legend of Lefty,” at the Bethel Inn Conference Center, written in part by BPAP volunteer co-organizer, Ross Timberlake. In December, BPAP provided local performers to entertain business customers in the local holiday shop-around event.

Timberlake said BPAP hopes to continue an ongoing partnership between the performing arts community and the business community, schools, churches and nonprofit organizations. Both he and Arizzi are interested in hearing from the Greater Bethel Community on ideas for participating and sponsorship of future projects, as well as helping shape BPAP through Advisory Committee membership.

For more information, businesses may call Timberlake at 824-6545, and performers may call Arizzi at 824-0080.