Me and My Shadow, or Groundhog’s Revenge

The Residents of Muskrat Creek

Esther Field (Lindsey Walker) - elderly schoolmarm, who has taken a vow of silence
Chester Field (Peter Brown) - her other son, misses the old Muskrat Creek
Major Goldie Bullion (Cody Porter) - The Baron, coal miner, owner of Crooked Fang Saloon
Billy Minor (Ellie Heath) - his bartender with a heart of gold
Alma Grass (Caley Suliak) - Abandoned maid, cleans the whole town
Lady Lou Quigley (Stephanie Wolfe)- Owner of Lady Lou’s Saloon
Myrtle Wordle (Kristi Hanson) - Wealthy Entrepreneur
Rev. Jebediah (Chris Bullough) - A Reverend.
Justice Forrell (Randy Brososky) - Bounty Hunter
Dr Thaddeus Buckley (Joel Taras) - A Doctor with a shady past
Annabelle (Kelly Turner) - runaway acolyte
Vlad Impala (Breck Wiltshire) - Transylvanian immigrant with a sun allergy
Claude Hopper (Chris Bullough) - Half of the vaudeville team “Claude and Dill”
Dill Pickwell (Jason Hardwick) - Half of the vaudeville team “Claude and Dill”

The Dead, Missing, or Disappeared Residents of Muskrat Creek.

Sylvester Field (Jason Hardwick) - The town undertaker
Cyrus Lane (Jesse Gervais) - broken hearted widower
Lester Field (Randy Brososky) - Proprietor of Fields, the general store
Cyrus Lane (Jesse Gervais) - Broken hearted widower
Holden Strong (Joel Taras) - Hard working miner

Director: Jake Tkaczyk
Music: Paul Morgan-Donald
Producer: Nicole Thibault
Synopsis: Jim Cej
Technical Magic: Olivia Bogaard

Act I

Justice and Sergeant Benson are still locked in the jail cell. They contemplate the choices that have led them here. Burnaby remembers how he decided to join the NWMP. Justice feels that he doesn’t always live up to his name. Sometimes it’s hard to be a man. Sometimes you arrest them and put them behind bars to feel like you’re making an impact. They’re getting too mellow. They have to get out of that cell. Justice thinks that they should join forces. Justice remembers that he has a skeleton key for every cell in the west. They get out of the cell.

Fresh from killing her husband, Calliope runs into his brother Chester in the street. He’s still enjoying the prank they played on Sylvester. She confesses that she’s done something terrible. She smothered him with a pillow. The haircut wasn’t enough. Chester had one brother left out of four. She did what she had to do. They pinky swore that they would get him. She tells him that there was another woman. You knew about that? Chester couldn’t break her heart by telling Calliope about it. He admits that he’s a little scared and rattled being the last brother left. What other secrets are you keeping? We’re not a good family.

Claude and Dill think that they’ve found the perfect venue with the Crooked Fang. Billy and The Major are still taking each other’s roles, with Billy now the Mayor and The Major his henchman. They are nervous to share a drink with the mayor. Goldie peeps up, asking for a drink, too. Dill share some of the titles of the many hit songs that they have written. Claude and Dill are caught in their lie when they are asked to perform a medley of their hits.

Annabelle gets a diagnosis from Dr Buckley. He suggests that they try something called “vegetables”. Dr Buckley has a yam man she can consult. They catch Alma listening in. They are angry that she’s violating doctor/patient confidentiality. The yam man is the only source of clean number twos around. Alma wonders if yams is a code for something. No, it’s just something to help with bloody stools.

Chester visits Burnaby in the police station. There are countless unsolved murders of members of his family. He might be able to help with one, but he’s not sure if he should. Burnaby offers him a drink, but Chester is underage. Maybe he’ll join the NWMP. He tries to get some advice about Schmalliope. What do you do when you have conflicting opinions in your head and gut? Burnaby tells him that it’s hard to be a lawman.

Billy and Goldie talk about the vaudevillians. When Goldie calls him Billy, he reminds him the HE is the mayor now. He will no longer be requiring Goldie’s services. Goldie reminds Billy about the people he has killed. Sometimes you make your bed and you might have to lie it in.

Annabelle tells the vaudeville team on the unofficial rules of Muskrat Creek. She gives each of them a knife and she’ll see how much damage they can do on each other. It’s a tough town. Learn what it’s like to get cut. The turn on her, but she says that she doesn’t have any power. She’s a women and she’s not white. They’re both white and don’t have jobs. She looks them together in the room. She’ll find out who survives.

Calliope milks a cow, and she is visited by Justice. He suggests that she warm her hands before she touches the teat. He’s never milked a cow, but that’s what he heard. Where has he been? He’s been looking for Sylvester, but he can’t find them. He has failed her. Have you seen him? Why, what have you heard? Nothing, and there are bodies piling up at the funeral home. It’s like he vanished. She asks how he feels about a pinky swear. Just tell me and we’ll deal with it from there. He thinks that he knows what is in her heart.

Chester, Burnaby ask Alma, and the doctor about Sylvester. He thinks that he may have died from supernatural causes. Every time that one of his patients dies, it’s always under mysterious circumstances. The doctor admits the body is missing, so he can’t perform an autopsy.

Annabelle finds the downcast outcast Goldie Bullion. They both are feeling some hate in their hearts. He’s working as a brothel inspector. She thinks that’s a pretty awesome job. Goldie thinks that she may be a little more qualified than himself. He gives her his badge. She has nothing to give him in return. That’s okay, I’ll be getting vengeance.

Chester literally trips over a piece of Sylvester’s body it the alley. He briefly revives, and only has 4 short breaths left. There are another brother. More than one? More than 2. Justice arrives to find Chester with Sylvester’s body. It looks mighty suspicious. He may not have been a great brother, but he was the best one he had left. Justice needs to find someone to take the fall for Sylvester’s murder. Claude opens a window and shouts out that the two of them are locked in the room with 2 knives. Chester and Justice look at each other. Well, he IS annoying.

Act II

Burnaby puzzles out who did what where when, and how? The more he thinks about it, the more schmearer it becomes. Schmalliope… Schmalliope… Balliope? Calliope? Calliope!

Claude and Dill are evaluating their team. They thought that they would have written a song by now. They can’t, ever since the problem with the drink. Mayor Minor thinks that they may be able to help him with something. Remember the dumb guy that showed you out of my office…?

Goldie Bullion and Alma both feel lost. They’ve lost their purpose. Goldie wishes he knew who he was now. Sometimes you’re on the top of the heap, sometimes you’re at the bottom of the ocean. He has some plans, but he can’t do it alone. She is alone too, with Myrtle gone. She tells him that he will rise back up. She is on his side. He feels stronger. Even though it took a long time to get things together, The Crooked Fang is the only thing holding Billy together. Let’s burn it down.

Dr Buckley has heppa teatus. He feels that Annabelle is a miracle treating him. It’s a miracle that she’s even there. He has been training his body not to die. It failed him for a little bit, but she brought him back. He owes her now. A million gold bars, like what an insurance policy would have paid. If she can bring him back to life, think what else she can do instead.

Justice says that she was just pursuing justice killing Sylvester since he tried to kill her. He will make sure that she doesn’t go down for this. They will find someone deserving to take the blame. She said that she thought Sylvester loved her and he betrayed her. The same thing happened to him. Sergeant Burnaby bursts in and arrests Schmalliope.

Mayor Minor has an idea. They could have a performance of their burlesque at the Crooked Fang tonight as a distraction. Have they ever murdered someone before? Claude usually plays a country gentleman, but he can see him as a murderer. Dill says that he’ll do it. They haven’t written any songs since they quit drinking. He confesses to Claude that he never quit drinking and had been writing hit songs. He’ll take off his clothes in front of everyone. They slap each others faces.

Justice, Chester, Alma, and Goldie visit Calliope in jail. She says that he gave her away. No! I just said it was someone that rhymed with Schmalliope. Goldie asks her about her shed of weapons. Burnaby can hear them upstairs in the cell and goes up to check. Everyone scatters, and he tells her that she was talking to herself. Goldie sneak up behind Burnaby and snaps his neck.

Claude and Dill go to see Dr Buckley about their bruised faces. And the mystery drink that he swallowed. Dill could survive drinking it, but it will cost them. What is your current means of making money? Dr Buckley also owes someone a lot of money. Dill sings and dances for him now, and Dr Buckley will cure him. Dill says that the doctor is his only partner now. Annabelle tells Claude that he is dying. She asks about his money, are hose gold buttons on his jacket. Yes, but that’s all he has. That and Dill. Dill says that he has a new partner now.

Chester asks what happened. Alma disguises herself as Burnaby, but no one is buying it. In all the confusion, Goldie didn’t see what happened to Burnaby’s body. Chester has a plan. Calliope appreciates what everyone has done for her, but she wonders if she should just stay in prison. Justice has a key. He can let her loose, but she’d have to leave town forever. Or we can disguised Alma as the sergeant.

The shirtless, hatless mountie wonders what happened. Someone came up behind him wrung his neck. He is alone and outside, so cold. What should he do? What can he do?

All Photos by Olivia Mellors