First Look at the Return of "Mystery at Shady Acres."

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Lego Studios; July 16, 2012)

     Today, it's been exactly two years since Johnny Thunder and the Gift of the Nile was released. However, there is no need to reminisce about the past, as we have to look to the future; to August 17th, that is! That's the day Mystery at Shady Acres returns in an all-new form. However, while you wait and we assemble all 88 videos, we'll look back at the play's history and how it will find new life online.

     It all started back in 2006, during the Cornerstone Thespian Society's last year. At the time, the group was split into two grade groups: 7th - 9th and 10th -12th (if memory serves correctly). Each group had to pick a play to perform, and this play was for the younger age group. Out of 80 or so scripts, Mystery at Shady Acres, or Carats and Crumpets was picked because of the easy set design and scripting. By the way, on an unrelated note, the older group picked The Prince and the Pauper as their play, but that's getting off-topic.
     However, as ideal as the script was for the grade group of the performers, it was still far from perfect. The first part to be cut out were the pointless members of the English tea garden tour. "They were, no doubt, the most pointless part of the story," said LEGO Studios CEO Mark Matthew. " They aren't even involved in the crime. They go in, head out, and disappear for almost the rest of the play. However, thanks to some genius rewriting, they disappeared entirely." The next thing to change was the location. In order to read better with American audiences, the hotel was moved from England to New England (Vermont in particular). Edward and Blanche Fairfax went from being American to British and some of the dialogue was altered to match the new setting. It was only a quick fix, though, as the characters', as detective Philip Thorton would put it, quintessentially British names remained the same (except for Heimlich; his name changed to Stew LaRoach). Some of the character's genders were also swapped.
     When these changes were made, it was time to put on the show. However, during practice, several of the jokes became...er...stale. Therefore, many more visual and verbal gags were added to keep morale up, and proved to be some of the most popular during the performance, along with Thorton's improvisation.

     When it came time to release the play on DVD in 2008, it got overshadowed in its release, since the main event that year was the release of our first online film: Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo. The DVD included the film along with a photo gallery, a trailer for Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo, and other short films.

     That brings us to now. With recent films being "From the Vaults" films, combined with the extended shooting period for Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients, a major release for 2012 was needed (this was before Late for the Soccer Match was conceived). Therefore, it was decided to re-release this play for online audiences. There was some debate whether to release it under the "From the Vaults" banner, but the decision is to make it stand alone. After all, there is a lot different about this version compared to to the play, most notably the Shady Acres Super Sleuth intermission game.
     Shady Acres Super Sleuth uses the technology behind The Lost Ruby: An Interactive Adventure, but on a larger scale. You can't lose in this game and acts as another layer of intrigue to the movie, which is already filled with clues. "We use it to make the audience another character in the story," said animation department head Steve Brocko. "The play had this great part where Chief Wickfield turns to the audience and asks for help, and everyone watching becomes a detective, processing the evidence they've witnessed. On the DVD, that was sadly lost, but this game will revive that. For the style, we went for something more dramatic than the play's comedic tone. It's actually reminiscent of the old The Cameron Files PC games from 10 years back." Just like in the play, the audience even gets their own informant tip sheet, scanned from an actual informant tip sheet used during the performance.

Screenshot from The Cameron Files: Pharaoh's Curse. Image courtesy hookedgamer.com. Game copyright The Adventure Company

The two games, for comparison.


Screenshot of the dining room in Shady Acres Super Sleuth. Note the reference to When Barrels Fly on the far wall.

     The original musical score for the game was also composed with classic mystery music in mind, with an emphasis on the violins. To listen to it, head to the Mystery at Shady Acres teaser page on the website.
     If nothing else, the game certainly pressed the limits of the computer in use. Can you guess how long it took to render the final images for the game?

1 hour
5 hours
10 hours
24 hours

     Write your answer in the comments. The correct answer to this question can be found on our Facebook page.
     Now that you're familiar with Mystery at Shady Acres, we all hope you're excited for its return on August 17th! Be sure to see it then!
     Update: On an unrelated note, starting August 1st, another expansion to the website will begin! Along with the Vacation: Unlimited Scrapbook Contest (more details later), we'll also add character bios for all of our films (Wonders of Buoyancy will most likely be first), add more relevant links on the "links" page, like Brick Stix, add two more "Tales of the Adventurers" comics, and upgrade the YouTube channel and press room to match the website's new aesthetics. The "Mystery at Shady Acres" page will also get regular tweaking all the way up to August 17th and the "Wonders of Buoyancy" page will get a new quiz.