Who dunnit?  Oyster Mill Playhouse and Agatha Christie.

"Murder at the Vicarage" opens the 2005 season at OMP and, while the murder mystery is a common element in community theatre repertoires, this show is uncommonly entertaining.

Fans of the genre, and certainly admirers of Agatha Christie's work, especially the beloved Miss Jane Marple, will find "Murder at the Vicarage" an enjoyable evening.

The plot specifics aren't important.  Somebody is dead -- an unpopular man -- and nearly everyone in the quiet country village of St. Mary Mead is suspect.  In time, the unassuming Marple, astute student of human nature, will solve the crime that has local authorities baffled.

Director Kristie Grey's cast works well together, an effective ensemble that blends local veterans and exuberant newcomers to Oyster Mill's stage.

E.K. Weitzel's Marple is thoughtful and attentive, exhibiting the sensible propriety and dry wit that has made the character one of the most beloved literary sleuths of the 20th century.

The others in the cast complement one another, delivering capable performances, struggling only at times with the pacing and delivery of language through earnest English accents, ones they have obviously worked hard to make believable.

Standout performances are given by Oyster Mill newcomers Jessica Evans (Mary), Megan T. McClain (Griselda Clement) and returning performer Daniel J. Kostelec (the Rev. Leonard Clement).  It is, however, Evans as Mary, housekeeper to the Rev. and Mrs. Clement, who provides some of the evening's finest moments.  The charm she brings to the character's quaint, country warmth and humor is delightful.

Subscribers and guests can expect the quality production to which they are accustomed from OMP, but a few anachronistic and out-of-place elements in "Vicarage" are somewhat detrimental to the suspension of disbelief.

Black Stafford sport coats from J.C. Penney are dubious garments for clergy in St. Mary Mead, 25 miles south of London, in the years following World War II.

Mail at the time would not be delivered in envelopes with crackly plastic windows so addressee information is visible to the village postmaster.

And, most importantly, if the murder weapon is a Mauser revolver, there are better prop guns to choose from than something the size of an Israeli Military Industry .50- caliber Desert Eagle.

Quirks aside, audiences will be delighted, and OMP should be proud of another fine production.