Feature: MURDER MYSTERY Weekends Returns To The Wilburton Inn

The Murder Mystery returned to the historic Wilburton Inn this spring after a pandemic gap. The Wilburton Inn, originally built in 1902 as a single-family residence, has been a famous Vermont resort since 1945.

Wilburton Murder Mystery weekends began 20 years ago when innkeeper Georgette Wasserstein Levis turned her sister Wendy Wasserstein's Broadway hit, The Sisters Rosensweig, into The Brothers Rosenblood. In 1987, Georgette and Dr. Albert Levis purchased the Wilburton Inn and transformed it with Gatsby Party Dinner Dances, Murder Mystery Weekends, Oscar Parties, and glorious weddings and events. Tajlei Levis creates new mystery scripts each year, inspired by Wilburton and local Vermont history.

The Murder Mystery Weekend series has become known as "Murder in the Mountains." The latest version features Tajlei's, The Case of the Missing Mummy, inspired by the true story of a 4000-year-old Egyptian mummy buried near Middlebury, Vermont. The Case of the Missing Mummy begins as an eccentric Manchester collector tries to complete his collection of curiosities at his Museum of Mythology. The collector commissions a cowboy archeologist to find an authentic mummy from Egypt. The collector and the cowboy appeal to the Vermont Explorers Club to underwrite the expedition in return for a share in the profits. A Broadway musical sensation, recently retired from the Ziegfeld follies, is planning her film debut in a musical extravaganza Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile - a love story. Her producer will film on location in Egypt to save money on scenery. The dirt starts flying when the Broadway Diva and her entourage discover they have been assigned the same spot as the collector's dig.

Combining elements of cabaret, improv, escape room, and suspense, this Who Dunnit interactive weekend was set in 1923, the year Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tut. Perched on the crest of a hill at the top of a long winding driveway, the 1902 Wilburton mansion transported guests to an Agatha Christie-like setting. Guests were encouraged to dress in festive flapper or "Egyptomania" attire as they followed the professional actors through the Clue-like Wilburton mansion.

This interactive weekend experience was fun for everyone and a great way to welcome back the "Murder in the Mountains" weekend tradition at the Wilburton Inn. The cast included Nicole Mills, Peter Langstaff, Joe Mozer, Letitia Scordino, Talula Levis, Melissa Levis, Joey Masalsky, Egitzio Panetti, Ellen Adler, Bob Hemmer, Stewart F. Lane, Bonnie Comley, and Frankie Lane. Tajlei Levis wrote The Case of the Missing Mummy, directed by Sheila Childs, with musical direction by Michael Garvey.

Georgette Wasserstein Levis was the sister of Wall Street legend Bruce Wasserstein and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein. Georgette was the inspiration for Madeleine Kahn's Tony award-winning role of 'Gorgeous' in the Broadway hit, The Sisters Rosensweig, written by her sister Wendy Wasserstein. Georgette's daughters, Melissa and Tajlei Levis are award-winning, published playwrights, lyricists, and composers, while her sons are the innkeepers and bakers. Georgette passed away in 2014, but her husband and their four Ivy League-educated children run the inn and maintain her spirit and traditions. Dr. Albert Levis is a retired psychologist who curates Wliburton's art and sculpture gardens and gives lectures in the Museum of the Creative Process.

For more information on the Wlilburton Inn, Murder Mystery Weekends, Oscar Weekends, and more, see: www.WilburtonInn.com

Photos by Dave Barnum