Photo Provided Pictured is the cast of Mystery Theatre Unlimited's dinner theater show “McDeath” or “Nothing Much About Doo-Doo,” scheduled for 6:30 p.m. today, Friday, May 1, at River City in Wheeling. From left are Butch Maxwell as the out-of-place former rock star David Boney, Pete Fernbaugh as the hapless Shakespearean scholar Edmund Burymore, Karissa Martin as the in-over-her head musical theatre diva Loretta LaDiva, Sean Decker as the miscast standup comic Harvey Brashman and Joel Nau as stage manager turned reluctant actor Allen Woodley.

WHEELING – Mystery Theatre Unlimited presents its hilarious musical-comedy murder mystery production, “McDeath” or “Nothing Much About Doo-Doo,” at 6:30 p.m. today, Friday, May 1, at River City Restaurant in downtown Wheeling.

The musical comedy production will be staged by Mystery Theatre Unlimited, a professional ensemble that has been writing and performing original comedy murder mysteries since 1996. The show is a “no holds Bard” presentation of “Fakespeare,” because the comedy group has crafted a satire of William Shakespeare.

Mystery Theatre founder Butch Maxwell noted, “If you don’t know much or anything about Shakespeare — this show is for you. The characters trying to do the play know nothing about Shakespeare, either. Along the way, we make fun of everything associated with the theatre and much more. Plus, you have the fun of trying to solve a murder mystery.”

In the show, respected Shakespeare historian Edmund Burymore (played by Pete Fernbaugh) has discovered a play that he believes to be the first show ever written by the Bard. With the help of the Royal Crown Shakespeare Company, he stages the first performance of the show in over 400 years. But the production is fraught with backstage accidents, so Burymore brings in less accomplished actors as replacements, including famous musical comedy star Dame Delilah LaDiva (played by Karissa Martin), standup comic Harvey Brashman (played by Sean Decker) and former glam rock star David Boney (played by Butch Maxwell.) He even enlists to the cast his nebbish stage manager Allen Woodley (played by Joel Nau). The result is a comically skewed rendering of supposedly great literature.

According to Burymore, much of the Bard’s later work is represented in a cruder form in this early play. For instance, one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines for “Romeo and Juliet” first appeared in “Nothing Much About Doo-Doo,” but in a slightly different form: “But soft, what scent through yonder wind doth break?” Another example: “To be or what?”

Mystery theatre performances, which take place in a dining room with actors moving about and among the tables, include audience interaction and the opportunity to solve a murder mystery, along with a dinner. In addition to the option to play small parts in the show and to question characters, audience members are encouraged to gather and share clues.

For reservations at River City, call 304-233-4555. Private parties are available by calling 304-280-8681.

For more information, see www.MysteryTheatreUnlimited.com.