FOUL PLAY is a New Kind of Interactive Murder Mystery Series
I love a good murder mystery. TBD Theatricals is looking to shake up the world of whodunit goodness with a new interactive series called Foul Play. This new series comes from Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen), Tony winner Alex Boniello (Dear Evan Hansen), and Matthew Barth Tinkelman and will be a 5-part anthology series. You’ll be able to watch beloved actors like Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things) and Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) among others loosely improvising comedic moments.
Thanks to the new one-of-a-kind digital interactive platform created in partnership with Sigma Software, you’ll be able to follow different characters around the story to get unique aspects and helpful clues. You’ll be able to move between various rooms and each room will have three cameras for you to catch different angles and maybe find that key clue. I’m very intrigued by this premise.
When the case begins, all of the suspects will be together in one room just minutes before a murder is about to occur. Once they disperse, Foul Play becomes an interactive game, giving the viewer full access to surveillance cameras in four rooms, each with three different camera views, allowing them to click around, follow different suspects, listen to conversations, and collect clues. Foul Play is loosely improvised and every sneaky conversation is happening in real time, so the viewer is encouraged to stay eagle eyed and follow the story threads that are the most suspicious. Or, they can just click around and follow their favorite character - it’s totally up to them!
Another aspect that has me excited is that some of the writers for Foul Play include Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20), B. Dave Walters (Dungeons & Dragons: A Darkened Wish), and Arti Gollapudi (Upright Citizens’ Brigade). This gives me some high hopes for the stories being told. Another fun aspect of the interactive series is that you can join the official Discord and chat with others about who you think the murderer is and the top 20 guessers will gain access to a live chat with Feldman and Boniello as well as rewards in Discord. Talking about the experience, Feldman said:
There’s a really special thing that happens when people play our game; we get to see a light flick on behind their eyes and this huge smile comes across their face as they realize what it is that we made, and just how unique and ambitious it really is. This is the stuff of dreams, and the fact that I got to make it happen with some of the most incredible and skilled performers and creatives…I mean, the whole thing just feels like my freaking birthday party.
Hunter Arnold of TBD Theatricals added:
We built a unique virtual platform just for this series. Through this digital platform, viewers are able to watch and enjoy each case on their terms as it plays out. With the ability to follow the characters and scenarios of their own choosing, they’ll be able to have a different viewing experience every time they watch it.
As previously mentioned, Matarazzo and Urie will be starring in Foul Play as well as Ryan Haddad, Rob McClure, Erica Hernandez, Will Roland, Celia Rose Gooding, Alex Brightman, and many more. The first episode of Foul Play, “The Mansion Case: Murder at Vanguard Mansion” will premiere on April 21 at 9PM ET. You’ll need to head over to foulplay.live to join in the fun and you’ll have to purchase the episode separately for $9.99 each or a full season ticket for $39.99. You’ll find the full release schedule, a trailer, and a how to play video below.
THE MANSION CASE: MURDER AT VANGUARD MANSION
Premieres April 21 at 9PM ET
You have been invited to a dinner party at a lavish and mysterious house on the hill. Vanguard, its owner, is known for throwing parties with wildly interesting guests. Of course, you’ve never been one to turn down a dinner party. But beware: your host may just be the leader of a cult that worships Henry Winkler.
THE REALITY TV CASE: THE TRUE REAL LIFE OF REAL LIFE PEOPLE
Premieres April 28 at 9PM ET
Competition. Pain. Joy. Backstabbing. Join us for a drama-filled episode of The True Real Life of Real Life People: All-Star Edition. The biggest reality stars continue their journey of being stuck in a house together to compete for a cash prize. Forget what’s happening outside the doors of this house, no matter how horrifying it may be...nothing goes wrong on reality TV!
THE FILM NOIR CASE: THE CUBIC ZIRCONIA HAWK
Premieres May 5 at 9PM ET
Detective Dick Dickerson is the best private investigator in town, but ever since he fired his partner for being too much of a loose cannon, he’s been a wreck. His whole life has been devoted to finding the Cubic Zirconia Hawk, a priceless statue he was hired anonymously to find. Today is his birthday, and all he wants this year is to find out who hired him and to find the hawk...but he might end up getting more than he wished for.
THE FANTASY CASE: DARK CURSE OF SAVION SUNGUARD
Premieres May 12 at 9PM ET
Welcome to the Whispering Fireball, a tavern where Wizards, Dragonborn, Elves, and Goblins can bond over a pint of mead after a long day of adventuring. No brawls, magical or otherwise, EVER happen within the walls of this adventurer’s haven...as long as the prophecy doesn’t come true. That would be bad. The prophecy coming true would be very, VERY bad. Anyway, huzzah!!
THE CHILDREN’S TV CASE: MR. ROBERTSON’S WORLD OF IMAGINATION
Premieres May 19 at 9PM ET
For 30 years, Mr. Robertson has made the world a better place with his children’s TV program. He has filled the world with so much love, that his once inanimate puppets, Kevin Kindness (Gaten Matarazzo) and his friends, have come to life, creating a World of Imagination like no other! However, as Mr. Robertson has grown older, so have his puppets...and they’re not quite as loving.