"Mummies sing at Burien Winery"

Review by Aya Takechi

Special to the Times/News

Newsflash: Strange, eerie beings have been sighted recently in the Burien area. Resembling ancient Egyptian mummies, these creatures seem to be stalking attractive young women who have an eye for precious gems. Local residents also report the sound of to-tapping music and singing whenever these mummies appear.

South Sound citizens are encouraged to leave their homes immediately and seek answers from authorities at the Breeders Theater and the EB Foote Winery.

And if those answers fail to calm the widespread shock and panic in Burien, it will at least provide many laughs, good entertainment – and delicious wine and hors d-oeuvres. Yes, the folks at Breeders Theater are back with a summer horror double feature: Murder at the Zoo and Truffles Chantrelle and the Curse of the Singing Mummy.

All your favorite BT actors are here for the sixth outing at the Foote winery. Employing their usual high energy and quick comic sensibilities, the BT cast brings together two giggle-inducing shows for the price of one.

After partaking of hors d-oeuvres and tasting EB Foote’s 2003 Chardonnay and their 2002 Syrah, audience members are treated to Murder at the Zoo.

An amusing send-up of Agatha Christie-style whodunits, this is the story of zookeeper Jean Pierre (Steve Coffey) and his wild and crazy assortment of animal and plant curators. These include a rodent specialist (Eric Hartley), a penguin professional (Doug Knoop), a snake guru (Patricia M. Britton), an ape expert (Carlos Calvo) and a plan aficionado (Kirsten Olds).

When one of his curators is met with an untimely death, Jean Pierre calls in zoo inspector/part-time homicide investigator Jungle Jim (Jim Cooper).

At intermission, wine tasters are treated to a 2002 Zinfandel and a 2000 Merlot. (The Merlot was a particular favorite of those sitting nearby!)

Truffles Chantrelle and the Curse of the Singing Mummy follow the second round of wines and continues the evening of humor and fun.

Truffles Chantrelle (Patricia M. Britton) is a pretty and adventurous newspaper report who is mistakenly whisked off to a fictitious Middle Easter country. With no flights leaving the country for at least a week, Truffles checks into a hotel run by Fabu (Steve Coffey) and is pursued by an archeologist (Martin J. Mackenzie) and a mysterious crime boss (Eric Hartley) and his various henchmen (Carlos Calvo and Marianne Everett).

Of course, with an archeologist on board, there must be an archeological dig . . . and, naturally, there must be a mummy that is unearthed . . . and, without a doubt, a curse will be put on anyone who disturbs the mummy’s final resting place . . . and, unquestionably, the mummy will start to sing . . .

Sing? Of course! Audiences expect no less from a Breeders Theater production: lots of silliness, break-out-into-song moments and fine acting to pull it all together.

And everyone will be glad to know that the gang at BT does not disappoint.

Thumbs up go to Patricia Britton who delights and enchants as Truffles, to Linda Matthews who makes a brief but funny appearance as a fortune teller and to Julie Haakenson as the femme fatale.

Jim Cooper does nice work as the two lawmen, Jungle Jim and Sheriff Omarr, and Eric Hartley is usual irrepressible self as Frank the rodent curator and Orange Pinky the conniving crime lord.

T.M. Sell wrote the plays, Nancy Warren provides the music, and J Howard does the directing.

Truffles is followed by the tasting of the two final wines of the evening, EB Foote’s 2001 Cabernet (the other favorite wine of those sitting nearby!) and their Sweet Sherrill dessert wine.

You still have two more weekends to catch this entertaining double bill. Performances continue through Saturday, July 24. Tickets are only $20 and include hors d’oeuvres and tasting of EB Foote wines. These can be purchased at the EB Foote Winery, 127-B SW 153rd St. in Burien, 206-242-3852, or at Corky Cellars, 22511 Marine View Drive in Des Moines, 206-824-9462.