Murder Me Always by Lee Mueller, the current production by Town Players of Newtown, begins as audience members are socializing. This was a technique that incorporated the audience immediately, smashing the fourth wall to introduce the full theater as the stage for the interactive production directed by Nicole Kittleman.

There is a “play” within the play, which has the feel of an older, British murder mystery. The Town Players are, themselves, playing a set of actors and crew members who are not very good at their jobs . During the “play,” there is a murder among the characters, leading to an investigation that reveals one actor as the guilty party.

Amy Strachan and Travis Gebig as Muffy and Blake are a perfect pair in the show, especially when they were acting in the “play” as a couple. It is apparent they really understood the feel of the older form murder-mystery genre to emulate it, which made their interactions hilarious and believable.

These actors also shone with coolness under pressure and quick wit during the Q&A session — evidence they know their characters well.

Strachan’s fearless approach to acting has her taking her opportunities to be very funny.

Another notable pair is Liesbet Thiel and Desirae Kelley, who played Assistant Director Trixie and Detective Mamet. There was one moment they seemed to reference the sitcom Letterkenney, with its alliteration and quick, well-practiced and very funny delivery by Thiel and Kelley. Their onstage friendship is charming, a delight.

Kelley easily maintains the best accent of the show, and possesses her character throughout her performance with strong self-awareness and attention. Her stance even while resting builds her character, and every little movement seems carefully thought out. Kelley’s embodiment of the detective allows the audience a complete, appreciative understanding of the character early on in her introduction.

Philip Lorenzo as Henry is also immersed in his role, clearly digesting the lines of his castmates to make line-to-line decisions. Lorenzo handles his few personality “switch” moments very well — jumping from one self-concept to another with ease.

Tyler Nuzzo-Dozier is hilarious throughout, completely natural on stage and in his character Drew’s shoes. The “surfer dude” vibe of Drew feels very real, which helps to uphold the “meta” style of the play. Whenever Nuzzo-Dozier was onstage, the audience seemed prepared to laugh even if he hadn’t yet spoken that scene.

A true gem of Murder Me Always is the shenanigans “backstage” by Rick Holders and Audrey Smithers, who play part of Kelley’s investigative team. Despite having very few lines, these two help create a cartoony feel for the production in mimed, silly comedy. Holders and Smithers have a good grasp of what they’re going for, which makes their performance very amusing, especially when working together in a scene.

The design of the stage felt unclear. Features of the play-within-the-play had conflicting aesthetic elements that made its time frame difficult to place. It was hard to decide whether it spoke to the faulty organization of the “play” itself as intended or whether it was supposed to accurately read as a period piece.

In the first act, the actors come on really hot in their performance. Lines are delivered quickly in some instances, combined with an intensity making it a bit hard to follow at parts.

During the second act, however, the actors truly come together as an ensemble, allowing the audience to sink more comfortably into the world of the play. A notable moment of this was when the male actors sit snugly on the couch together, letting their characters shine through even when it wasn’t time to deliver their lines.

To break through a bit, it should be noted that even with careful calculation and incidental note taking, this writer did not guess the killer while attending the opening night production on June 9. This was for the best. Murder Me Always is a roller coaster ride and makes for a fun evening of twists and turns worth the price of admission.

Performances of Murder Me Always will continue at The Little Theater, 18 Orchard Hill Road, June 16-18 and 23-24, on Fridays at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 and 8 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm. Matinee tickets are $20, and evening performances are $25. For additional details and reservations, visit newtownplayers.org.

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Reporter Noelle Veillette can be reached at noelle@thebee.com.