In the presence of more than 50 hungrily interested onlookers, Stella Stalloney was murdered Friday night. Then she was murdered again on Saturday night. Both times, her fatal misfortune set the stage for Bangor Community Theatre to host a murder mystery dinner at the Isaac Farrar Mansion.

The BCT transformed the shadowy first floor of the high-ceilinged house into a 1920s speakeasy, complete with flappers, vamps, gangsters and godfathers, all of whom had a motive for killing Stella. Having recently inherited her late father’s illegal pub with plans to reopen it as Stella’s Place, the enterprising Stella had just a few enemies.

First instance, Nate Gatsby wanted Stella dead because their illicit love affair was a blemish on his high-society reputation. His prudish fiancee, Millicent Van Buskirk was none too pleased with Stella either. The merciless Rev. James, who was at the scene of the crime, denounced Stella’s lifestyle. The widow Fanny Stalloney, and her paramour, the smooth singer Hank Sinatra, both stood to gain from Stella’s disposal. Big Sal, Stella’s mobster uncle who is in the “extermination business,” didn’t seem particularly protective of his enterprising niece, either.

Written by Brewer resident Brenda Meehan, the whodunit plot kept guests guessing as they mingled with other amateur sleuths and the suspects while drinks, hors d’ouevres, dinner and dessert were served. The audience was introduced to the cast, witnessed the murder, and then invited into the interrogation room where they pieced together the clues with the illustrious Inspector Ness (not Mess, as he is affectionately called by Big Sal).

Although the evening moved at a slow pace and the dinner service was poorly organized, the cast of suspects was a delightfully good-spirited group. Sarah Clark was wonderfully haunting as the furtive and vampy master of ceremonies. Looking like Elvira as she slunk about the mansion raising one curious eyebrow and alluringly waving her black-gloved fingers, Clark kept guests in tune with the action.

As Nate Gatsby, Robert Libbey stuck his pretentious nose in the air while he dodged questions about his liaisons, but showed a guilty conscience as padded as a rich-boy’s bank account.

Twirling her long beads and curling her prettily pouting lip, Audrey Swanton was hilarious as Sinatra’s cast-off lover Kiki Romaine. Swanton’s my-man-done-me-wrong routine was one of the most entertaining performances of the evening.

In her brief appearance as Stella, then as a maid and finally as Stella’s long-lost twin sister, Melanie Bronson added much energy to the evening. Karen McCall as Fanny Stalloney was convincing in her mimicry of a dark-haired Mae West, Susan Murphy as Millicent was demurely manipulative, and Sandy Pasternak as Hank Sinatra was sleazily charming.

George McCann created a godfather-ish gangster with Sal, always flanked by devoted flappers Brigitte Blose and Kim Brown. Steve Robbins was up to his old, clownish tricks as Inspector Ness, and Aundrea Swanson added some classy moves as Ness’ assistant, the mystery writer Melody Michaels. Most guests enjoyed Nick Grant as the fiery fundamentalist Rev. James, but his loud, evangelical rantings were a bit excessive at times.

As they interacted with guests, rallying for their own innocence and ad-libbing in character, these local actors hosted a murder meal that was memorable and fun. Directors Audrey Swanton and Steven Mogul deserve a round of applause for broadening the lineup of BCT offerings in such a festive fashion.