Gumshoe detective

Drama club to present ‘No Crime Like the Present’

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Portraying private eye Mavis Davis is almost second nature to Jen Haugland.

“She picked me,” Haugland said. “My middle name is Mavis, and my grandmother’s name was Mavis so it is a pretty fun part to play. My grandma came from the era that the play was written in and the way the character persona is established.”

Davis is the leading role in “No Crime Like the Present,” written by Bill Gleason and presented by the Ludlow Village Players, a nonprofit organization.

Director Val Durling said this production outdoes the troupe’s last stage performance of “Suite Surrender.”

“I’m blessed to work with everyone involved,” Durling said. “They make me look good and we have so much fun. The room is always noisy with laughter. We’re like a family, a very close wonderful family.”

Opening night will be at 7 p.m. March 29 at the Bay Club, 120 Spinnaker Place, Port Ludlow. The second showing will be at 7 p.m. March 30 with a matinee at 2 p.m. March 31. Repeat performances will be held at 7 p.m. April 5 and 6, with a second matinee at 2 p.m. April 7.

Tickets are available at the door or online at Brown Paper Tickets.

For more information call 360-437-2861.

Murder most foul

The play unfolds as Davis investigates the murder of a beautiful but devious television anchor during a live newscast. Mavis is shadowed by a musical soulmate, a trumpeter named Max (portrayed by Randy Edwards) whose wailing horn echoes Mavis’ questions and the various suspects’ replies. Also on hand is a drummer (portrayed by Dave Cunningham) whose syncopated beats accompany the dialogue and emphasize vital clues.

Haugland said she found inspiration for her part in old black and white crime dramas.

“I love watching a lot of movies with Humphrey Bogart and Indgrid Bergman,” she said, adding Davis has a tough exterior but a soft heart.

“She is cool and calm,” Haugland said. “Not much unnerves her except for hints of love (interests) in her life. She is pretty calculated. She takes in everything and keeps a lot of information to herself and processes it. Then she comes out with her questions and jibes when she can.”

Haugland was born and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana. She moved during her senior year to Port Townsend High School, graduating in 1985, and was 1st Princess during the 50th Golden Jubilee year of the Port Townsend Rhododendron Festival, she said.

A licensed mental health counselor, Haughland has been practicing for over 23 years.

She also is a contemporary Christian music singer/songwriter and has led music ministry for the past six years. While she had been in numerous plays and musicals since childhood, this marks her first time back on stage in 28 years, she said.

Randy Edwards, the trumpeter, moved to Port Ludlow with his wife a little over a year ago.

“I have never acted before but have performed on stage more times than I can count,” he said. “I thought this play would be a great way to do something very different from my past and yet still familiar to me. Thankfully, Max does not have many lines.”

Edwards grew up in Seattle and began playing the trumpet at the age of 10, he said.

As a high school senior, he successfully auditioned for The Juilliard School, the most competitive conservatory in the country. Winning a scholarship, he enrolled, but soon discovered he did not like life at the Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan. “I came home to Seattle and played principal trumpet for many of the community orchestras in the area. When I turned 23, I became a firefighter and now have 32 years on the line.”

Edwards said he put down the trumpet for a quarter of a century and is glad to again perform on stage.