Tim Kelly

“If you’re looking for hilarious escapist fun, a spooky puzzle or an entertaining whodunit, you’ll find it in this off-the wall, cockeyed mystery spoof. A Hollywood psychic, Jenny Davenport, is murdered in a Laurel Canyon lodge that once belonged to The Great Marvel, a famed ‘illusionist.’ Who should turn up as ‘investigator’ but another dingy psychic who calls herself Claire Voyant! Her ill-fame rests on the fact she once cured a woman of a ‘haunted’ elbow. She solicits the help of other weirdos like Bella Donna and her nasty ventriloquist dummy, Chester. Anne Boleyn, with her terrible fear of axes. The amazing Ernst Slater, the man with the X-ray eyes. Toss in some bewildered police types, a fish-out-of-water niece, a ham actor who signs-his photos ‘Bachelor Father,’ a crazed hermit and walking lamp shade -- among others! Mix well. The result is a one-of-a-kind lampoon that’s hysterically funny, silly and genuinely scary at the same time. Is the motive the mysterious book that explains Marvel’s fantastic illusions or is the motive something darker? What’s that crawling in the cellar? Why are the coyotes howling? What happened on the lake? What’s that “glowing” in the hallway? Shudder, gasp and - LAUGH! The action is fast and furious. The rib-tickling chuckles and chills are nonstop. A sure-fire audience pleaser.”

Kelly, Tim. That's the Spirit. Baker's Plays, 1993.