Swiss Singers present dinner-theatre mystery ‘Once upon a Murder!’

The Toledo Swiss Singers, one of the area’s oldest singing groups, will be asking the question, “WHO DUNNIT?” at their fifth annual dinner-theatre mystery event, held for two nights, Feb. 23 and 24.

The evening, titled “Once upon a Murder!,” will feature a murder in the Kingdom of Happily Ever After — at The Chalet at Oak Shade Grove, 3624 Seaman Road in Oregon.

Enter the mythical world of classic fairy tale characters. Members of the audience will enjoy watching the drama unfold, along with some great musical performances. During the evening, there will be a mysterious cold-blooded killer on the loose. Who is the victim? When does it happen? Which character is responsible?

Written and directed by Swiss Singer Jane Williams, “Once upon a Murder!” will have audience members using evidence provided and making keen observations to carefully conduct their own investigations. Gather the clues and determine who could be the killer!

The evening will include a delicious menu: roast beef au jus, twice-baked potato casserole, mixed vegetables, salad, rolls, desserts, a cash bar and, of course, the murder mystery.

The theatre presentation begins promptly at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24. Dinner will be served during the performance. Tickets are $25.00, with $20.00 tickets for children 13 and under. 

Reserve seats by Feb. 18 by calling Elaine at (419) 206-0975.

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About the Singers

Currently under the direction of Micah Graber, the choir has been a cultural staple in the Toledo area since 1869 — that’s 150 years of celebrating Swiss culture in the area. The chorus in its current form has been around since 1924. Its aim is to retain and preserve the culture and songs of Switzerland, to live up to the singers’ ancestors’ tenets of faith and behavior, help others, and to be good citizens.

The Singers perform two concerts annually, including a wide variety of traditional Swiss, Broadway, Gospel and American music, as well as a special performance in February.

The group is part of the North American Swiss Singing Alliance (NASSA), made up of 14 choirs from Canada and the U.S. Singers compete internationally every three years; the next competition will be held in June 2021 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The nonprofit organization is also part of the larger German American Festival (GAF) Society, which most people associate with the festival held annually in August. The society consists of seven German-speaking societies. During the festival, the Singers set up and operate the Swiss Cheese Haus, along with the Stein Stossen contest. The GAF Festival draws more than 30,000 people on an average weekend and is the largest ethnic festival in this part of the country.

The Swiss Singers practice Wednesday evenings at 7:30 at Oak Shade Grove from September to May.