BANGOR – The sun is hot and trigger fingers are itchy as folks gather in Groaners Gulch, Nev., for the annual chili cook-off at Miss Liddy’s Saloon.

Outlaw Johnny Bingo says he and his gang are headed into town for the Cowboy of the Year contest, but what the gunslingers really want is a showdown with Sheriff John Duke and his deputy, Festus, at the I’m O.K., You’re O.K. Corral. Between the chili and the barbecue, one of them is going to die as “Murder Rides Again.”

The Brunswick-based Murder du Jour Theater company will perform the Western-themed production tonight at the Spectacular Event Center on the Griffin Road. The cost of $35.95 per person will include dinner and the performance of the murder mystery.

“The show is very interactive, but will follow a set script,” according to Greg Alldredge, director of the production and owner of MdJ Theater Inc. “We have four courses with a three-act play in between courses. The actors serve in character and, sometimes, we give audience members lines on cards so they play characters, too.”

Murder du Jour was founded in 1991, but Alldredge bought the company just last year. The organization performs about 40 times a year in venues from Bangor to New Hampshire.

While there are nine different productions based on themes or genres such as “Die Claudius,” “Murder Most Medieval” and “Murder in Hell’s Kitchen,” a particular show usually is performed for six months, then retired for a while, according to Alldredge.

In addition to the plays done for the general public, Murder du Jour also has two shows – “Stress Can Kill” and “This Job is Killing Me” – geared for large office parties and conferences. Each show is double cast with a troupe of 20 actors based in southern Maine.

Most of them, like director Alldredge, are not full-time professional actors, but people who have a lot of amateur experience in community or college theater.

One of those is Jonathan Guimont of Portland, who studied theater at the University of Maine from 1997 to 2000. He performed in “The Cherry Orchard,” “When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

He jokes that he is working with Murder du Jour while he’s “waiting to get famous.” In addition to that, Guimont, who portrays Johnny Bingo in “Murder Rides Again,” works for a marketing firm in Portland.

“Dinner theater is a whole lot more fun than straight theater because it’s so interactive, and you never know what kind of a curve the audience is going to throw at you,” said Guimont in a phone interview. “There’s a lot of room for ad-libbing and that’s a good skill to develop.”

A 1997 graduate of South Portland High School, Guimont said his goal is to become a professional actor. He said the audience enjoys interacting with the characters in the dinner shows, taking notes on the action and guessing who the murderer is.

Alldredge, who has appeared in many television commercials, including several for Megabucks, said the show is suitable for all ages “from preteens to retired folks.”

For reservations, call 941-8700. The MjD Inc. Web site is www.murderdujour.com.