“The White City: An Audible Exhibition on H.H. Holmes, Muderer” a theater in the dark

[rating=3] Are you old enough to remember radio? Back in the day, radio had comedy shows, variety shows, news and of course dramas. There are broadcasters who have copies of shows from the 20’s and 30’s thru the 1960’s when they began to disappear ( thanks to television, of course).

There is a theater company, a theater in the dark that began in 2019 thanks to the pandemic. They took radio to a new level by doing live radio broadcasts of stories that were thrillers. They did “War of The Worlds” ( a classic) and “A Christmas Carol”, but done in the dark. You could sit back and relax as the story unfolds and while you are listening, you can use your imagination to see what your mind thinks should be the visual part.

“The White City, an original audio play written by Rick Kinnebrew is based on a Chicago criminal case that took place during the 1883 Columbian Exhibition on Chicago’s south side.

In the story, directed by Corey Bradberry, we learn about this murderer, H.H. Holmes, a medical man who opened a pharmacy on the south side and built a house that became his “Murder Castle”. As a con-man, he loved doing insurance fraud and was constantly being sued. . In this production, Holmes is played by Ethan Carlson. His business partner, Ben Pitezel is deftly handled by Keenan Odenkirk.

While Holmes may have been responsible for over  20 murders ( He confessed to 27) it was that of his partner that he was convicted for. All of his swindles, cons and other crimes were left as “open”. If someone suspected him of a crime, they were doomed. He was probably the first serial killer in Chicago’s history.

Other cast members are Dylan Walker as Pitezel’s wife Caroline and Brian Perry as Frank Geyer the detective who is the one that at last gets Holmes convicted. He is not alone with his deeds as Taylor Wilkes portrays his accomplice Quinlan. Hats off to Jake Sorgen for the sound and the original music by Nick Montopoli , setting the tone.

Since this is a mystery, I find it best not to divulge a great deal more. The facts are that he does finally get caught and off the streets of Chicago, but feel that you should stream it for yourself as it is a well-done radio theater broadcast. The show was done “live” back in March but now can be streamed by visiting https://atheaterinthedark.com/whitecity/

I suggest turning down the lights, turning off your phone and turning your computer screen to black or you might want to google  H.H. Holmes and gave his picture on the screen ( that’s what I did). Enjoy the mystery!